Recovery and Redemption
by trombonegirl18
Summary: When a criminal Carmen put behind bars as a detective escapes from prison she becomes his main target. After being assaulted by him she must navigate myriad changes in her life while joining forces with the ACME detectives again to put him back behind bars. *Warning* This story contains non-graphic references to sexual assault.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: For many years now I have been a fan of Carmen Sandiego. I have played most of the computer games, I watched the game shows and I was (and still am) an avid fan of the 90's television show Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego. Due to this insane weather we have been having in the midwest with the polar vortex and whatnot, nearly everything has been closed. Meaning no work. Cabin fever lead me to my DvDs of the series and throughout watching several episodes the inspiration for this story was born.**

 **This story took rather a dark turn as I was writing it, but I do hope that as it progresses the themes will become lighter and the message will be more positive. Sometimes when you really love a character you put them through tough situations. This story contains references to sexual assault and thus may not be appropriate for younger readers. Nothing graphic though. Further references will be noted in each chapter in which they occur.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Carmen Sandiego. If I did the 90's series would have lasted longer.**

* * *

Carmen awoke to find herself lying in a dark alleyway. The sun had set hours earlier and the stars were shining brightly in the sky above her. The autumn air was crisp and cool, and the moon was full. In any other circumstances it would have been a lovely evening. Perhaps Carmen would have enjoyed it had events transpired in a different manner. Alas, all of the what ifs in the world cannot reverse or change a specific set of circumstances, no matter how much one wishes they could.

As Carmen attempted to sit up she felt pain radiating throughout her entire body, everything hurt. She could feel where bruises were beginning to form and where cuts and lacerations lay on her arms and legs. The pain she felt all over her body was some of the worst she had ever endured, but that did not compare to what she was suffering internally. The shock of the evening's events was still too much for her to bear. However she knew that she must put these thoughts from her mind for now. She needed to get help and treatment, the sooner the better.

She sat there in the alley thinking things over for a few moments. Her options were limited in where she could turn at a time like this. A clinic or general hospital might work, but there was too much of a risk in her identity being discovered there. Although she was in plain clothes and not wearing her signature red coat and hat it was still very likely that she would be recognized as Carmen Sandiego and she simply could not have that. She did not want to risk arrest, or be exposed at her weakest time. People could not know what had happened to her.

Another possibility was returning to VILE. for treatment, there certainly were many capable doctors there. Injuries and illnesses were always possible when it came to pulling off a caper. Yet, even though this was perhaps her safest option, she did not feel it was in her best interests. For as much as it offered in security, it was at a disadvantage in location. The trip would be far more difficult for her to make in her present predicament than she would prefer. Another problem lay in the fact that she did not want her employees to see her in such a state as this. She was Carmen Sandiego, arguably the greatest thief in the world, that she could be reduced to this! It simply would not do for them to see her in such a weakened state! Besides none of them knew she had left for the evening as it was, she couldn't just barge in this way, they would never allow it.

Her final option would be to head back to ACME. her old home and place of employ for many years. Out of all of the places she could go that would be the one she would be safest at, she just knew it. Although many of the detectives at the agency wanted to put her behind bars, and with good reason, she knew that she could count on the Chief in cases like this. He was her oldest and dearest friend, he would help her in her time of need. It would be nice to see those whom she cared most about, though she doubted this visit would be so social.

She checked her position on her watch, she was exactly two blocks away, she could make it there, if she just pushed herself. Clutching the brick wall that was behind her she managed to pull herself up into a standing position. Her weak and tired limbs protested greatly to this, but she knew it must be done. While she was feeling pain now, it was nothing compared to what she would be feeling tomorrow.

She managed to move along the walls until getting to an exit and then followed the alleyways to get to the ACME. building for fear of somehow being recognized on the sidewalks. The world could not see her in this position, it would jeopardize all she had worked to build up. She was always supposed to be prepared, ready to face anything, but today she had let her guard down; and for that she had paid.

After what seemed like hours she had reached the ACME. building, rifling through her small hand bag she pulled out her ACME. ID and swiped it. Although she had long been a "wanted criminal" her ID was still valid. There was always a place at ACME for her if she ever chose to return home. The Chief. had made sure of this for her, even with all they had gone through he still cared about her very much.

As she entered the building she did not cross paths with anyone, she carefully stowed the ID in her purse again careful to put it back in its hiding space. Her attacker had not been after her money or what was in her purse, he had one goal in mind and that was her. She made it through to the living quarters and found her old room again. It had always been hers, no one else had used it in all of these years.

No sooner had she entered when she found herself collapsing onto the bed. Her limbs had given out and she was faced with a horrible feeling of exhaustion and loneliness. She had to find something to patch herself up with. With great effort she pulled herself off the bed and began looking through the drawers in her desk and nightstand. During her detective days she always kept first aid materials on hand and she had learned to take care of herself.

A young detective was walking down the hallway and noticed that the light was on in Carmen's room. Knowing that it was forbidden for anyone to be in there she immediately sought out the Chief. Once alerted he was displeased that someone would disobey his orders. No one was to enter that room, it was strictly forbidden. Thanking the agent and dismissing her he immediately made his way to Carmen's room.

Carmen had finally found some of her first aid materials and was preparing to patch herself up when suddenly the Chief appeared.

"Excuse me, but this room is strictly out of bounds, I'm afraid I am going to have to ask you to leave." the Chief said sternly. He was trying to hide his anger about everything. The thought of someone in Carmen's room rifling through her things was almost too much for him to take.

Carmen was jolted out of her reverie, she had not seen the Chief come in and his sudden outburst had startled her to say the least. As she turned around to face him a number of thoughts went through her head. Very conflicted thoughts. There was joy in seeing her dear friend from her detective days, but also agony that he would have to see her in such vulnerable state. She feared he would think that she was weak and unable to fend for herself in the world. In the past ten years she had already let him down enough.

As the woman turned around the Chief was able to see her features more clearly, and he realized with a start that it was Carmen. Her beautiful dark hair was matted and damp, there was a large cut which ran across her forehead, and there were cuts and bruises all over her arms and legs. The brown dress and green sweater she was wearing were completely ragged and one of her pumps had a broken heel. He could not believe his eyes.

"Carmen?" the Chief asked quietly

"If you want me to leave I will Chief." Carmen said hoping that he could not hear the pain in her voice.

"What? No of course not Carmen." he said more gently "What happened to you? I've never seen you in such a state before."

"Accidents happen Chief, it's nothing too serious, I just need to patch myself up a bit, and then I will be out of your hair again." Carmen lied.

"Accidents Carmen? What did you do? Take a tumble out of a window?" Chief asked giving Carmen a stern look. "After all of your years at ACME and your years as a thief? This was no accident Carmen, it looks as if you were deliberately attacked."

Carmen just looked down, then busied herself looking through drawers and trying to find more first aid materials. "It's nothing Chief, I will be fine." Carmen said trying to keep the tears from coming. Survival was more important.

"You were attacked, weren't you?" The Chief asked, his voice filled with concern and anger. It was more of a statement than a question

Carmen didn't say anything and continued what she was doing, she took out a bandage and some antiseptic and sat down on her bed hoping to start patching herself back up.

"You'll need medical attention for your injuries Carmen. I think that it is best for you to see one of our physicians here. Something tells me that this is a little bit more serious than gauze and iodine."

"Chief, I can take care of myself I have done so on many occasions before." Carmen said busying herself in what she was doing.

"Nevertheless, I feel that it would be best for you to be seen by a doctor. If for no other reason than to put my mind at ease." Chief said "Besides I have never seen you in such a state before."

It did not take too much more prodding before Carmen conceded to his suggestion and the chief was off to fetch a physician. This fact alone made him more concerned than anything else. Carmen was fiercely independent. When necessary she would see a doctor, but he thought that she would have put up more of a fight. Instead she just seemed….defeated.

Upon his return a few minutes later the Chief was relieved to find that Carmen had not taken advantage of his absence. He was all too aware that she could have made a quick and efficient getaway in that time; even in her present state.

The doctor he had found was actually a colleague of Carmen's from when she had been an Acme detective. The two had been close friends and the Chief felt that he would be the most discreet. Additionally it seemed better that she was going to be treated by someone she trusted.

Dr. Edward Evanston agreed that he could take care of Carmen in the privacy of her rooms rather than in the medical wing so as not to incur any unwanted attention. The Chief left the room to allow them privacy.

After completing a full examination the doctor patched her up. He did his job well, and was relatively quiet about the whole thing. He made notes in his log and took the necessary samples but there was not a lengthy line of questioning. Something for which Carmen was extremely grateful. It was when he had finished these tasks that he pulled up a chair next to her so that they could talk about it.

"Carmen, I would strongly encourage you to report this crime to the police." he said. "The man who did this to you should be imprisoned."

"Unfortunately I do not believe that I would be able to press charges in this situation." she replied quietly. "What credibility would that even hold? I would be arrested on sight just walking into a police station."

"Not necessarily, without your trench coat and hat most people would not recognize you. Even if they did what he did to you is completely inexcusable. While you are a notorious thief people still care about you. They would want to see the man who committed this act against you imprisoned."

"Nobody is going to find out about this." She said. "The last thing I need is for the world to know that this happened to me and who did it to me."

"You knew your attacker then?" he asked her gently.

"Yes." she replied tentatively. "Yes I did."

"You do not want to see him behind bars for this?" he asked her.

"More than anything, but at what price to me?" she replied. "Who would take me seriously if I were to stand as a witness in court? What would this do to my image? How could I face the world everyday with this moment of vulnerability on display to everyone? As it stands I am already risking a lot in seeking help here. I will need to return to VILE. as soon as possible."

"You can rest assured that I will keep your visit in confidence." Edward said kindly. "However I would like to keep you under my care for the next few days, maybe a week."

"Is that really necessary?" she asked.

"In your case, yes." Edward said firmly.

"I can see that you are welcomed at VILE then." she said.

"No, I think it is best that for the time being you remain here at ACME, I will speak to the Chief directly about it. I am sure he will be more than willing to accommodate your stay here."

"I cannot disagree with you there. Be that as it may though, I cannot trespass on his generosity. If the detectives knew that he was harboring me here, or heaven forbid his boss. I shudder to think of the consequences he could face. No I cannot do that to him."

"Everything will be fine." Edward said patting her hand. "I will do what I can to cover for you. Truth be told though we all care about you here. It is not just the Chief."

Carmen looked away from him for a moment. "VILE though. I have to be there for them. Everything will descend into utter chaos without me there. It would be one thing if my absence had been planned. It is another thing entirely if I have just disappeared."

"With the injuries you sustained you should be in a hospital right now. Being who you are I feel like staying here would be your best option." he said firmly. "More than anything you need your rest right now. Regain your strength and get well, you are in no condition to go back to work."

"Perhaps you are right." she conceded at last. "What are you going to tell Chief? I can't have him knowing what happened. I don't want him to view me in a negative light. He will think less of me."

"You can rest assured that I will be discreet. If he questions your condition I will say that you suffered some injuries that need tending too, which is all too true." Edward said. "Even if he were to learn the truth though, and I think that it is foolish for you to keep this a secret from him, I assure you that he would think no less of you. What happened to you was not your fault. He would be the first person to say that. In any case I think he will probably enjoy having you here for a little while."

A few minutes afterwards the doctor had left and the Chief had returned. Worry was still written all over his face, but he seemed relieved to see that Carmen had been taken care of.

"Carmen, I hear that you will be staying here with us for about a week." The Chief said kindly.

"I do not want to put you out Chief. If you would like me to go back to VILE. tonight I am more than willing to do that." she replied.

"You are not going anywhere Carmen. The doctor informed me that you need to be kept here under his care." He said. "You don't honestly believe that I would allow you to leave in this condition?"

"You do still care, don't you?" she asked looking at him with tired eyes.

"Is that even a question?" he replied. "You know my feelings on the matter. You were my best detective. If I had things my way you would reside here permanently. ACME will always have a place for you."

Carmen smiled at him her eyes beginning to get heavy. "You always did have a good heart." she replied. "I have missed you." A few moments later she was asleep.

The Chief stayed by the door watching her. He resolved that he would not leave her side. She had been attacked today, he was sure of it. While Carmen had been with the doctor he had received an alert through CrimeNet that a notorious criminal had broken out of prison earlier that evening. One whom Carmen had helped to put behind bars as a detective, and one who had a serious vendetta against her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** **Thank you so much for all of the positive comments and reviews for this story! I was so inspired by this that I could not wait to update this story again! I am glad that you are finding my take on the series interesting and I hope you continue to enjoy this story as it progresses.**

 **Disclaimer : Clearly I do not own Carmen Sandiego, I am sure that if I did I would not have student loans to pay off now.**

* * *

Carmen awoke the next morning to find that she was still in her room at ACME. There were fresh clothes on the chair next to her bed and a tray of food was sitting on the bedside table. For a brief instance it was as if she had gone back in time. Before she had left the agency and founded VILE. Now here she was, just as she had been all of those years ago at ACME.

It was not too long however, before the events of the previous evening began to flood back into her consciousness. How on earth had she allowed that to happen to herself? Why hadn't she fought back more? Surely there was something that she could have done to prevent this? If only she had been stronger. She was Carmen Sandiego! A woman who had made a name for herself both as ACME's top detective and now as arguably one of the world's greatest thieves. All of this had been accomplished through strength, perseverance, and hard work. Where had that been last night?

All she felt now was a hollow emptiness inside of her body. Even the aches and pains she felt did little to counteract the numbness within. Something had been stolen from her this time and that made all of the difference. Her own body disgusted her now, for that wretched man had violated it. A man she should arguably never have seen again. He was supposed to be in prison now.

Of course though he of all people had managed to escape. The violent psychopath that he was. There had been no word of it on the news, and he had been in disguise, but she knew that it was him. She sat up in her bed and hugged her knees to her chest; a shiver ran through her body just thinking about it. For the first time in her life she did not want to be outside and working. The thought of resting here suddenly was not as bad as it had seemed the previous night. At ACME she was safe, she was at home.

Finally getting out of her bed she decided that she had to make some attempt at normalcy. Carmen grabbed the clothes that had been laid out for her and walked into the bathroom that adjoined her room. In this moment she was grateful that she had been given this luxury. The living quarters at ACME were not excessively spacious. Most of the detectives who lived here shared a kitchen space and hall bathroom. Of course for most of them this was not a permanent living space, just somewhere to stay when they were working on a case.

For Carmen ACME had been her home from the time she had left the Golden Gate Girls' School as a teen. This was the place where she had grown up and it had been the only place she was ever able to truly call home. Even now that she had houses, and headquarters throughout the world nothing felt more at home than being here.

Upon entering the room she looked at herself in the mirror above the sink. As she had anticipated there were now bruises on her face and she could also see them forming around her collar bone. Everything else was thankfully hidden by the clothes she was wearing. Her hair was matted and dirty. More than anything else right now she needed a shower.

As she undressed she avoided looking towards the mirror. At the present she had no desire to see what she looked like. Only to be clean. She turned the water up so that it was scalding and then climbed into the shower. The water burned a bit, but at least it distracted her from the numbness inside. Scrubbing and scrubbing until her skin was raw she did everything that she could to erase the dirt and grime from her body.

When she had finished with that she stayed there for a little while longer and just allowed the hot water to fall on her. Of course she could not stay in the shower forever, she would have to face to real world again soon, but she relished the time that she had. Once she felt that she had done enough she exited the shower and dried herself off, making sure to avoid the mirror as she dressed herself again.

Being clean did brighten her spirits somewhat and she found that she was able to busy herself by focusing on getting the mats out of her hair. It was a long and arduous process but the task itself distracted her from her other thoughts. With the dirt and grime gone from her face the bruising did not look quite as bad, but she knew that she would need some serious concealer if she was going to have any chance of hiding this from the world. Questions from her employees were the last thing she needed right now.

After what felt like hours Carmen finally allowed herself to return to her room. The Chief was waiting for her there when she arrived. He seemed glad to see that she had not run off during the night.

"Good morning Carmen." he said after a moment.

"Good morning Chief." she replied trying in vain to sound cheerful. "I trust that you are well?"

"I am fine Carmen, but you are my main concern right now. If you are up to it I feel that we need to have a talk today." He said.

Carmen sat down at the table in her kitchen nook and began to pick at her food. "Alright Chief." she said after a moment.

"We had an alert through CrimeNet last night that Arturo Toscano has escaped from prison along with some of his closest accomplices. This report came in sometime after you arrived here. Naturally, knowing the history between the two of you, I had to wonder if these two events were at all connected." Chief said. The topic was a delicate one, and one which he was unsure of whether Carmen would willingly answer.

Carmen looked away and began picking at her food again. It seemed as though she was not going to answer him. He was just about to say something else when she finally spoke up. "Your suspicions would be correct."

So, he had been right about her having been attacked. At least he now knew who the culprit had been in this situation. ACME now had a new "most wanted" criminal to capture. "From what we have heard in the last night it would seem that a lot of planning went into his escape. It was so well planned, in fact, that some of our experts believe that he was gone for a period of several hours, or even days before his absence was noted. It would seem that he was able to switch places with a person who had undergone plastic surgery to be a near exact duplicate of himself. The switch was only discovered when the other man had sustained an injury in prison and his blood type did not match." Chief explained.

Carmen nodded at this. "That does sound like something that Toscano would do. We should have known that he would still have some contacts on the outside who were willing to do his bidding. Do we have any idea which one of his henchmen had shown shown so much devotion that he was willing to undergo a complete transformation and go to prison?"

"We are still working to ascertain the identity of the man in question." Chief said. "He was taken in for interrogation last night, but before anyone could speak with him he attempted an escape himself and wound up in the hospital ward for the injuries he sustained. At the present he is in no state to be giving us answers."

"Have finger prints been checked?" Carmen asked now somewhat more alert.

"That creates another unique complication." Chief said. "You see, he has none. There are a few situations that can cause this. Some people after all are naturally born without them, but it would seem that in his case steps were taken to remove the prints."

Carmen flinched. "I understand that is not at all a pleasant experience." she said looking at her own hands as she said this.

"It is indeed incredibly painful, but there are thieves and other criminals who believe that it is a necessary step to take to pull off capers."

"Gloves." Carmen said lightly. "Any sensible person would wear gloves. There is nothing more effective in my experience. I never leave without them."

Chief eyed her somewhat suspiciously. "Speaking from experience of course."

"Even in my days as a detective." she replied without missing a beat.

"Of course." he said. "At any rate we are at something of a loss as to his identity at the time being. Arturo's whereabouts are also still in question."

"I would assume that even he would spend some time lying low once his absence was discovered. As narcissistic as the man is he is not an idiot." Carmen replied.

"You are right. With his skills in disguise and his knowledge of international languages he could literally be anywhere right now." Chief said.

"Has his escape been reported to the general public yet?" Carmen asked.

"No, in fact only certain people are privy to that information at the present. It would seem that the powers that be are concerned about worrying the public too much. They seem to think that we should be able to capture the man and have him in custody again before anyone can find out."

"If that isn't the case?" Carmen asked. "Suppose he were to pull off a major crime of some sort. What would we do then?"

"They have not thought that far. As it currently stands we have got to be working overtime to do everything we can to return him to his place in prison." Chief said. "I shudder to think of what could happen otherwise. As we have already seen he is capable of doing a great deal of damage and he does not care who he has to injure or what he has to do in the pursuit of his goals."

"How can I be of assistance Chief?" Carmen asked suddenly.

The Chief found himself somewhat taken aback. Had he heard correctly, was Carmen willing to work with them on this case? "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean Chief. I will do anything I can to see him behind bars again. I am at your disposal and any resources you need from VILE will be available to you." Carmen said.

"Carmen, after what you have been through I cannot expect you to help with this case." The Chief implored. "You have already been injured enough by this man.

"All the more reason for me to help put him back where he belongs." she said. "After all I did put him there once before."

"Yes, but that was ten years ago. A lot has changed since then."

"Are you insinuating that I could not be of use to you?" Carmen asked. "I am no slouch Chief. I can assure you my skills are as primed as ever."

"Technology has changed so much though…" he began but Carmen cut him off.

"Excuses, excuses Chief. You know quite well that is of no issue. Dare I say some of my technology at VILE might be somewhat more advanced than what you have here at the agency."

"Carmen, I cannot risk anything else happening to you. Arturo is armed and dangerous. As we have seen from last night, and your previous encounters with him, the man is capable of inflicting a lot of damage." The Chief said at last.

"I am resilient Chief, I will bounce back if anything happens to me. I have always been able to to so in the past." she said. "Last night was simply a bump in the road, nothing more serious than that."

The Chief knew however, that was not true. While she was looking considerably better today and some of her spirit had returned he knew that the man had injured her far more than she was willing to admit. He could see it in her eyes.

"You seem to think that you are not important." Chief replied at last. "That you are expendable. Which you know very well is not true. There have been too many close calls in the past few years alone. This is a very serious matter."

"Please, let me help you. If not here you know I will do everything in my power to capture him again. With or without ACME."

He knew that she was not bluffing. Carmen was a very gifted and talented woman, but she was also very stubborn. She would do whatever it took to achieve a goal. Even if it meant putting herself in unnecessary danger to do so. The Chief knew full well that she would much rather harm come to her than to another innocent person.

"It is too dangerous Carmen, I cannot in good conscience permit you to put yourself in harms way." Chief said. "Look what happened to you just last night. You have not even had a chance to recover properly yet."

"Then let me help out behind the scenes for now." Carmen said finally.

"Behind the scenes? Chief asked intrigued by this suggestion.

"Yes, while I would much prefer to be out in the field I am sure there is something that I could do to help you here. I could do research, examine evidence and clues. Anything you need me to help with."

"Carmen, that offer is extremely generous but you are here to recover." Chief answered her finally.

"You and I both know that I will go stir crazy without something to occupy my time." Carmen retorted.

"Be that as it may. It just would not feel right." The Chief replied. "Besides in all fairness what reason do I have to trust you? I would be remiss if I were not to consider the possible consequences of having a world famous criminal mastermind poking around in top secret government files."

"Oh you consider me to be a mastermind now? I am flattered Chief. Such high praise coming from you." Carmen said with a sly grin. Her right eyebrow raised. "You know better than anyone that I could easily access those materials anyway. Your allowing me access to them here would be a mere formality"

The Chief did not have a response to this. He knew that she was right. The woman was after all a genius. "For arguments sake say I was to allow you to do as you have requested. How would I explain your presence to the other detectives and employees?" He asked "Oh her over there? It's just Carmen Sandiego. What is she doing? Oh you know, going through top secret government files and using lab equipment. Don't let it distract you, just let her do her thing. I'm sure that would go over SO well."

"You could confine me to my room and have the materials brought here." she replied flatly. "The situation would not be ideal, but it could work. I am assuming that you were planning to have me remain here for the duration of my stay to begin with."

"No no no, that simply would not do." Chief said. "You would get cabin fever in here and there would be more suspicion drawn to someone being here all the time than not. As you know this room is strictly off limits. Besides it would be easier for you to be able to access information in our libraries and labs. Certainly far more hands on."

"Well then in that case I do not see a problem." she said. "I am happy to throw on a disguise and use a pseudonym."

"I am not so sure." Chief replied. "You are pretty well known around here."

"Come back in twenty minutes." she said. "I'll show you just what I am capable of doing."

The Chief had no doubt that she could disguise herself well. However she was perhaps one of the most recognizable faces on earth. Surely the trained detectives of ACME could spot her a mile away. Nevertheless he did what he was told. When he came back twenty minutes later a new person stood before him.

Carmen had pulled her hair up into a tight bun on her head, she had also donned makeup and a pair of rectangular framed glasses. She wore a black turtleneck sweater, gray pencil skirt and black pumps. The changes were simple, however the effect was nearly a complete transformation. It was Carmen still, but a Carmen that most people never would have seen. The drab colors and the make-up distracted from her brilliant blue eyes which were both visible now that her hair was mostly swept out of her face.

"Color me impressed Carmen, but it is still you, someone is bound to pick up on that fact." The Chief said.

"Oh really?" Carmen asked with a thick Italian accent. "Are you quite certain of that? Perhaps I am just the new Criminologist?"

"Benvenuto and welcome to ACME Dr. Francesca Romano." The Chief said in after a moment. "I hope you will enjoy your time with us."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hello All! I realize that I have completely disappeared off the face of the earth for a time, but I am back and eager to be writing again. Work and music ensembles got a little crazy, but it is good to have some free time for writing once again. This is a shorter chapter, but I do hope to have another chapter posted within the next few days if all goes well.**

 **Thank you all so much for your support of this story, and your lovely reviews! They really brighten my days :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Carmen Sandiego.**

* * *

"So in closing, I hope you can all be welcoming to the newest member of our team here at ACME. Dr. Francesca Romano is an Italian Criminologist who will be working with us for the foreseeable future. She has so much to offer to us and I am sure you will all enjoy working with her." The Chief said to the detectives that were gathered around his main screen at ACME HQ.

Everyone broke into applause at this point and then the Chief opened up the conversation for questions.

"Excuse me Chief, but where is Dr. Romano now?" Zack asked. "I am sure that we would all love to meet her."

"I believe she is in her room at the moment, err, you see jet lag is a bit of a problem and she did just come from Italy to be here. It is just a little bit of a time difference you see and she needs to get fully acclimated." Chief said hastily.

"You mean she did not just take the C5 corridor?" Ivy asked confused.

"Not everyone believes that is the most comfortable means of transport Ivy." The Chief said quickly. "I know many people who would prefer the traditional methods of travel."

"When do you think we will be able to meet her?" another detective across the room piped up.

"Yes." said another quickly. "I would be very interested in discussing different methods and processes with her."

"In due time of course." The Chief said a little flustered. "I am certain that she will be very busy for her first few days here, but we will see how things go. Thank you again for your time. Wish I could stay to answer more questions, but I've got another important meeting to get to so….. Carry on with your work." Like that he was gone and the detectives were left murmuring amongst themselves. Over the next few minutes the majority of them dispersed throughout the rest of the building leaving Zack and Ivy alone.

"What do you think of that?" Ivy asked Zack after a time.

"The new Criminologist? I think this is fantastic. Think of all that we could do with the extra help around here."

"Not about her, the Chief." Ivy said. Did he seem just a little bit flustered to you?"

"Doesn't he always seem just a bit flustered Ive? After all he is rather high energy. In the most literal sense."

"Yes, but not quite like this. I got the feeling that he was hiding something; or at least not giving us the whole truth about things."

"Sis, why would he lie to us about this? A new criminologist, what on earth could that be hiding?"

"Jet lag Zack? Not choosing to use the C5 corridor? That does not sound any alarm bells in your head?"

"Ive, relax, there are a lot of people who do not like using the C5 corridor. Remember even Carmen found the whole thing to be rather disconcerting and she's, well, Carmen. The system has bugs that still need to be worked out. Personally I would not blame someone for not being too fond of it."

"This from the person who threw a fit when Suhara didn't want to use it?"

"I've changed over time. I like to think that all of what we have gone through together has served to make me the mature well adjusted person that I am today."

Ivy just snorted at this. "Believe whatever you want to little bro." she said. "I am going to check up on Dr. Romano's dossier."

"Still suspicious?" Zack asked.

"Of course." Ivy replied. "This whole thing doesn't seem right. Why do we need a new criminologist? Why now?"

"Maybe they just thought it was time to bring in someone new to help us catch Carmen?" Zack suggested.

"Somehow I do not think so." Ivy answered. "If indeed she is a real criminologist than perhaps there is another case that we do not know about that has taken precedence."

"It is certainly possible. Remember we are not the only detectives that work for ACME. The whole goal of the agency does not relate solely to capturing Carmen Sandiego."

"Okay, okay. Would you mind bringing up the dossier for us to read through? You are the computer whiz kid."

"No problem sis." Zack sat down in front of the keyboard and began typing. A few moments later a dossier opened up on the screen. The information was fairly straightforward, all stuff that they had heard earlier on.

"That picture does have some striking similarities to someone else that we know, wouldn't you say Zack?" Ivy asked after examining it for a moment.

"I do not see any of note, what do you mean?"

"The dark hair? The shape of the face?" Ivy said. "Doesn't ring any bells little bro?"

Zack rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it she does look kind of familiar. I just cannot put my finger on what it is about her."

Ivy sighed dramatically. "Come off it little bro, she looks almost identical to Carmen, can't you see it?"

"Perhaps, if you squint." Zack said after a moment. "I would not think too much of it though. Statistically speaking everyone has a doppelgänger."

"Why would her doppelgänger show up here though, of all places?" Ivy asked after a moment.

"I don't know, poetic irony?" Zack offered. "At any rate why on earth would Carmen bother disguising herself to work at ACME again? We all know that she is good enough that she could probably access all of our information if she wanted to anyhow. We would be kidding ourselves to believe otherwise."

"Fine, Ivy said after a moment. I just do not like the sound of this."

"Hey, I understand how you feel. Look at it this way though, in the extremely unlikely event that Francesca Romano is an alter ego for Carmen, we would have a head start on getting her in custody. What better way for us to keep track of what she is doing than to have her right here, under our noses?"

"Maybe you are right. Maybe I am just a bit paranoid. We have been working the Carmen case for an extremely long time; it is natural that I would be seeing things now. There is no way Carmen would be working at ACME." Ivy said shaking her head.

"Of course I am right. I do possess a certain, shall I say, knack for deduction. My skills are legendary after all."

Ivy playfully swatted her brother on the head. "Famously big headed perhaps."

Zack rubbed the back of his head. "That was uncalled for."

Ivy raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you say we call it a night? We've got lots of work ahead of us in the coming weeks and I want to be here bright and early tomorrow morning to meet our new….associate."

"Alright." Zack said. "Let me just close out this program before we leave, covering our tracks as it were."

"Zack, we are not criminals."

"All the same, it feels like an invasion of privacy to be snooping around her dossier."

"I seem to recall that you did not put up much of a fight when I asked you to open it." Ivy replied skeptically.

"As I told you earlier this evening I grow and change throughout every new experience. What can I tell you? I have just reached a higher level of maturity and enlightenment than you have." He said with a grin.

"If I were you little bro, I would quit while I was ahead. Perhaps I would also consider running at this point." Ivy said cracking her knuckles.

Zack did not need to be told twice.

* * *

"I take it Zack and Ivy have already read through my dossier?" Carmen asked without looking up.

She was sitting at her desk poring over a collection of documents. The Chief had just popped into a framed picture on her desk.

"I have got to hand it to you Carmen. That was quick thinking on your part to already have that up on the server." Chief replied.

"Always know who you are dealing with." Carmen replied. "A study of basic human nature is key to survival. I presume that they already have some suspicions about my identity?"

"From what I observed they did make some comments that would suggest that, yes." Chief replied with just a hint of anxiety.

"I do love a challenge." Carmen said looking up. Her eyes held the first glint of fire Chief had seen in them since she had come in a few days prior.

"Knowing full well that you will not heed my advice on this matter, I will only say, proceed with caution Carmen." Chief said.

"Oh, I certainly intend to." Carmen said seriously. "Now is no time for a game of cat and mouse."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hello All! After what feels like ages I am back! Thank you so much for all of the lovely review on this story. When I started writing this I had no idea anyone would take such an interest in it and I am truly grateful. I must apologize for my prolonged absence. The past few months have been rather difficult for me. Without going into too much detail there were a lot of changes in my work, in addition to a very painful bout of sciatica which really hit me hard. Rest assured that I have not abandoned this story, and I am hard at work on upcoming chapters! Hopefully I can start to post on a more regular basis now.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Carmen Sandiego, in any of her incarnations.**

* * *

After a week of being at ACME again Carmen would finally be facing the detectives she had been playing cat and mouse with just a few weeks earlier. While she was fairly confident in her ability to pull off another persona the fact remained that the only thing separating her from the detectives was a pair of glasses, an updo, some different clothes and a fake Italian accent. All in all she would mostly have to be careful that she was able to stay in character.

There had been many occasions in the past where she had to be in disguise with far less than she had now. The difference here being that she would be spending a lot more time with people who knew her very well. People who devoted a good deal of their lives to finding and capturing her. Above that she was in a place where she had spent the formative years of her life. To be someone else here just felt so….wrong.

Regardless the key to effectively concealing her identity lay in her presentation of herself to those around her. The best way to play a character or a part was to make it as similar to one's own life as possible without going overboard. That is to say Francesca Romano would simply be an extension of her own personality. Albeit with some slight changes. This way there would be less chances of slipping up and her persona would seem more genuine.

Even though she had hoped to begin her research earlier the Chief had insisted that she spend some more time recovering before that could happen. While she put up a fight about it she knew that he was right. This had also given her time to acclimate to her surroundings and to better learn about the character she had become.

In the time since she had arrived here the visible injuries from her attack had become less prominent. Bruises were beginning to fade, cuts and wounds to heal. This was good. It meant that less makeup would be necessary. An excess amount of concealer would be more noticeable and being that she was surrounded by detectives they would ask questions.

Taking a deep breath she smoothed out her skirt and sweater. A new ACME ID badge gleamed on her black turtleneck sweater. With a final glance in the mirror she opened the door and walked out into the halls of ACME again. She crossed through the living quarters and out into the main room.

The Chief and some of the ACME detectives were there waiting for her. Since nobody had cuffed her yet she assumed that her disguise was working. It was a strange sort of deja vu being here now amongst the detectives, working alongside them even. In all of her wildest dreams she had not anticipated ever being here in this capacity.

"Welcome to ACME." Zack said coming forward first. "We are glad to have a first class criminologist like you to join the the team."

"Thank you Zack. It is my pleasure to be here." Carmen said politely, reaching out to shake his hand.

"I see that my reputation precedes me." Zack said returning her handshake.

"Give it a break Zack." Ivy said rolling her eyes at her brother. "Just because you are a legend in your own mind it does not mean that applies to everything else. I am sure that being who she is she has done her due diligence."

"Right you are Ivy." Carmen replied. How amusing it was to watch those two with their banter. She had to hand it to them that despite their disagreements they made a very strong team.

In time she greeted all of the agents present before the group dispersed. As Ivy had said, she had indeed done her due diligence and could name every one of the people in the room and their specialties. Even down to the most recent additions to the team. She could not help but notice that the Chief had something of a smile in his eyes as he watched these interactions.

Soon the room had cleared and Carmen found herself alone with Zack, Ivy and the Chief. "What do we have on the agenda today?" she found herself asking after a few moments of uncomfortable silence had passed between the group.

"Oh, right." Chief said a moment later. "I suppose I was lost in the clouds, or rather the cloud for a minute there. Righto, Ca…Dr. Romano, why don't you begin your research in the archives. There is plenty of material there that should be of help to you."

"Excellent." Carmen replied. She had heard the Chief almost slip up and refer to her as Carmen, but she was very glad that he had caught his mistake. The detectives had doubtless noticed his little slip, but hopefully she could brush off their doubts. "I will be heading down there now then."

She began to head off in that direction when Zack stopped her. "Hold on a second Dr. Romano. Allow me to show you where the archives are. This building is pretty complicated to a newcomer.

"Excellent idea Zack. Dr. Romano definitely does not know where the archives are. It is very nice of you to show them to her, because she has never been here before and you are right this building can be terribly confusing to some. Did I mention that this is her first time here at headquarters?"

"I think you got the point across just fine." Carmen replied to the Chief. "Thank you Zack, I appreciate it. Lead the way."

"Don't mind the chief Dr. Romano." Zack said as they walked away. "He can be a little bit…..eccentric at the best of times. Right now, well, something really seems to be eating at him. So his usual eccentric nature, has been elevated somewhat."

"It's quite alright, things must always be new around here with him." She replied glad that Zack was simply putting things down to the Chief's rather eccentric behavior.

"This is true, he certainly does keep things interesting." Zack replied. "It is just that right now I cannot shake the feeling that he is hiding something from us. You know?"

"I am certain that it is possible, but I do not know what the Chief would have to hide from any of us." Carmen said.

"Maybe you are right. Besides if anything super serious was going on Director Devineaux would be here right now." Zack said matter of factly.

"Director Devineaux?" Carmen asked after a moment.

"You know, the head of personnel." Zack replied. "He is a legend. Do you know that he was actually Carmen Sandiego's partner for awhile when she was still at ACME?"

"Indeed?" She asked Zack curiously. "That sounds rather interesting. Pray tell, what else do you know about that?"

"At the time they were two of the best and brightest on the force. Together they had put away more criminals than they had cells for in the local prisons. The two were as thick as thieves, if you'll pardon the pun, until she went rogue." Zack said. "When she left though everything changed."

"How so?" she asked intrigued. "Were there just alterations in his manner, or was his work affected as well?"

"Everything about him changed. His whole demeanor and outlook became different. The Director buried himself in his work. Rather than being open and friendly he became quiet and reserved. He made it his personal vow that he would be the one to bring her to justice." Zack said.

"Why do you think that might have been?" Carmen asked.

"Well, he was her partner after all. I can't help thinking that perhaps he held himself personally responsible for what became of her." he replied. "They were said to be the best of friends; and when she went bad it was quite the shock to his system."

Carmen felt pained at this. "I can imagine that would be a traumatic experience for any friend to have to go through. He should know though, that what happened would never have been his fault. As it was he could never have prevented her from making the choices she did."

"Perhaps, but how do you explain that to anyone? Even the Chief feels guilt over what happened and what could have happened. When he too could not possibly have anticipated her turn. It was all so sudden."

"From what I am given to understand it was indeed a sudden change." Carmen said looking away. "Is there anything else that I should know regarding the associations between the director and Carmen Sandiego?"

"Well, there have been rumors for years that the two had been something more than partners back in the day. If you catch my drift. It's just conjecture though. Personally I don't believe it."

"Why is that?" Carmen asked thoroughly curious now. How strange a sensation it was to be asking someone else about her life.

"Carmen is Carmen. Something tells me she would not take kindly to being tied down and she would perhaps perceive romance as a waste of her time. The Director is something of a loner. Given the opportunity he is much more prone to stay on his own than to socialize. Dating does not seem like it would work for him. He hasn't been super successful with women in the past."

"What do you mean?" Carmen asked almost forgetting her accent.

"Again, this is just rumor." Zack said. "Supposedly he has had a string of brief flings, all very casual no strings attached, that sort of thing, but things have never gone farther than that with him."

"I see. He is something of a player then." she said after a moment. More coldly than she had intended.

"Well, as I have said it is all just conjecture. If you ask me the majority of it is just made up to keep things interesting here. I am sure you know how things can be. When we are between cases. Anything to keep us from going stir crazy. All Director Devinaux has to do is show up to some sort of event with a woman and the rumors fly."

Carmen did not hear much of what Zack was saying at this point. Her thoughts having gone to distraction. She found herself idly fiddling with the ring on the chain around her neck. Chase had not even not even entered her mind when she had volunteered to be here.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hello All! I'm back again. Goodness time flies, it's already almost October! Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews, they have really kept me going on this story. I enjoy hearing from you so very much! :)**

 **I'm already working on the next chapter and I cannot wait to post that one as well.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Carmen Sandiego**

* * *

ACME's director of personnel was sitting at a cafe in Paris reading a newspaper; when a soft voice from across the table had brought him back to the real world. She was speaking in French, ordering a salad, but even with her impeccable accent he would recognize that voice anywhere. Startled was not quite the sentiment he had felt at the moment, but nevertheless he was certainly surprised. Immediately he lowered his newspaper and found himself face to face with Carmen.

He was intrigued more than anything else. Her dark hair was braided over her left shoulder and she was wearing large sunglasses. The gray sweater dress she was wearing was simple and plain; a far cry from the bold colors she wore when on the job although she did maintain her trademark red heels. A subtle joke of hers, he knew. Hiding in plain sight always was one of her strengths.

"Paris is quite lovely this time of year I think." she said taking a sip of coffee and breaking the silence. For a moment Chase found himself wondering where she had gotten the cup.

"It is indeed." he replied after a moment.

" Pleasure." she said after a moment. Chase must have been giving her a strange look because a moment later she clarified. "You were wondering if I was here for business or pleasure. I can assure you, for whatever it is worth, you do not need to worry. I'm strictly a tourist this weekend."

She always had that knack for being able to get into his brain; she always had some idea what he was thinking. In a way it was kind of eerie, but she had started out as a detective.

"A tourist indeed?" Chase asked her skeptically. "You?"

"Everyone needs to recharge their batteries at some point Chase." Carmen replied with a smile. "Whether or not you care to believe it I do other things with my time. I do not spend every waking moment trying to foil your detectives."

Chase merely raised an eyebrow. "You merely create the illusion of it then?" he asked her folding up his newspaper and putting it away for good now.

"You could say a good portion of my job is sleight of hand, yes." Carmen replied with a wryly.

"So as a tourist what brings you here today? Surely you know what a situation you must be putting yourself into. You are an extremely intelligent woman." Chase said. "So why on earth would you choose to walk right into the hands of ACME when you are not even on a job as it were?"

"You really think I am planning something right now?" she asked with a laugh. "How droll you are."

"I think you avoided my question." he said leaning forward and resting his chin on his hand.

"I have not walked into ACME's hands. I have walked into yours." she replied.

"That may just as well be the same thing though. I am the director of ACME, and you are putting yourself in a rather, shall we say, delicate position right now."

"Is it really the same thing though Chase?" Carmen asked leaning forward so that they were now eye to eye. The casual observer might have perceived the two of them to be lovers lost in one another's eyes at the moment. Chase was not entirely sure that they would have been off the mark.

"How is it not though?" Chase asked her leaning forward still so that now their conversation was a whisper. "I could easily cuff you right now and bring you into custody."

"You certainly could do that." She replied thoughtfully. "In fact I would not blame you if you did. However I do not think you will do it."

"Why not?"

"Being who you are, you are curious, almost morbidly so." She said both eyebrows raised. "You are wondering what it is that I am doing, and if I am plotting something nefarious."

"Indeed, are you though?" He asked her now fully immersed in the conversation.

"Perhaps, perhaps not." she said. "If I was however, do you honestly believe that I would have told you about it?"

"I suppose not. Giving your secrets to ACME would not likely be in your favor." Chase replied.

"I thought we had already established this point. It is not ACME that I am presently dealing with. It is you."

"Fair enough, although the question still remains, what interest do you have in me right now?" Chase asked his pulse quickening a bit. "Since, as you say, you are disinterested in communicating with me in any official capacity."

"Official capacity? Perhaps not in the sense of your career at ACME, but you certainly serve in other capacities." Carmen said mischievously.

"Which other capacity would you be referring to then?" He asked her silently goading her on."

"Really, and you call yourself a detective." Carmen said with mock judgement. "Did it not occur to you that my reasons for seeking you out might perchance be more personal than professional?"

"Do go on." Chase said. By now the waiter had returned with a generous slice of cake and two forks. She had ordered his favorite, raspberry.

"I think you can put two and two together

Carmen said slyly taking a forkful of cake.

"So you are here now just to see me?" he asked taking a forkful of cake for himself.

"Is that a crime?" Carmen asked taking a second forkful of cake.

"No, but you must admit it does allow for some suspicions." Chase replied. "I do not know that my charm extends quite that far."

"You seem to be underestimating yourself." Carmen replied. "You certainly have your charms. If some of the rumors are correct you are quite the ladies' man."

Chase colored and nearly choked on his cake. "All hearsay." he said once he had recovered from his shock.

"Hmm, are we certain about that?" she asked him. Her tone was teasing, but he could tell that the question behind it was a serious one.

"I am completely serious." Chase said reaching across the table and taking her hand in his. "I can honestly say that you are on my mind more than any other woman."

"One of the advantages of being on the most wanted list." Carmen replied with a smirk.

"In more ways than one." Chase replied in a low voice.

"This time you flatter me." she said clasping his hand.

"So, spending the weekend as a tourist?" Chase asked her after a moment. "Will you be flying solo?"

"I do actually have plans with someone." she said.

"Oh indeed?" he asked intrigued. "What do those plans involve?"

Carmen was thoughtful for a moment. "Walks along the Seine, climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower, visiting Notre Dame. Old bookshops, the Latin Quarter, dinner, you know touristy things."

"That does sound like rather a lot." Chase said.

"It is a long weekend." Carmen replied.

"Who will you be doing all of this with?" He asked.

"A gentleman of my acquaintance." she said with a wave of her hand.

"That's incredibly descriptive."

"Alright, a tall dark and handsome gentleman with whom I am very well acquainted."

Chase just looked at her for a moment. She was enjoying this too much. "Am I also acquainted with this man?"

"The two of you are on rather intimate terms." she said

"Indeed." Chase said with a smile. "When do you plan on meeting up with this tall dark and handsome acquaintance?"

"I dare say we have been conversing for the greater part of the last hour." she said with a gentle laugh. "We'll want to get going soon if we want to get the best view from the Tower."

"I'll get the check."

* * *

Perhaps, if he had just left it at that, just dessert and the Tower. If he had only encouraged her to go on her way after that the weekend could have been salvaged. Or if he had completely ignored her rather than even engaging in conversation; then none of this would have happened. Although he couldn't help thinking that if he had ignored her he would probably be having a similar argument in his mind right now. This was the no win scenario for him.

For what felt like the millionth time in the past few weeks Chase Devineaux felt his mind wandering once again. It did not help matters that the meetings he found himself in were almost unbearably dull at the moment. Nor did it help that he was currently in a very dark, very warm room. Add into that the fact that he had not eaten recently and it was a veritable recipe for distraction.

Distraction in and of itself was not necessarily a horrible thing. At least it would not be if his mind hadn't kept taking this opportunity to wander in a particular direction; or rather towards this particular person. Even better still had he been thinking of this other person in a different capacity, but no he could not seem to bring himself to such a thing. Even after what she had done to him a few weeks prior. Especially after what she had done a few weeks prior.

Not for the first time during these meetings did he find himself rubbing his temples and wondering why he still felt the way he did in regards to Carmen. Logic would dictate that he shouldn't care for her anymore. Logic would dictate that the only sense he thought of her in should be in terms of arresting her and bringing her to justice. In his capacity at ACME that was the only permissible thing. Yet still he held a soft spot for her.

Perhaps soft spot was not quite the right word. Saying that he would only be fooling himself and even then he was not doing a great job of it. To say he cared for her would also be a misstatement of facts; indeed rather an understatement. If he was being perfectly frank and honest with himself he was still in love with her. After all of these years, and even what had happened after Paris a few weeks ago. Paris, which had utterly ripped his heart out and trampled it into the ground.

How utterly infuriating that was for him. How utterly reprehensible as well. His own feelings on this had made bringing her to justice more difficult than it should have been. Had he only acted as he should have done in their encounters this would not have been an issue. Instead she still found herself to be free. While he was in this predicament. Constantly trying to recover from her. For all he knew right now she was off gallivanting with another man, or off in some distant country stealing a major landmark.

This current isolation was both a blessing and a curse for him right now. Everyone involved in these meetings was completely blocked out from everything going on in the outside world. No cellular devices, no laptop computers, radios or television sets. Not to mention any other pieces of modern technology were permitted. Instead the heads of several of the world's leading security organizations were closeted in a modest Ryokan in the outskirts of Osaka. No connection at all with the outside world.

There had been so many times in his life when he wanted to go off the grid and disconnect from everything yet now all he wanted was to know what was going on so that he could escape from the prison of his thoughts. To actually get some sleep without tossing and turning. To be able to dive into his normal work and find some distraction.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the clock on the wall. A quarter past seven. The papers in front of him which should have been filled out by now still lay blank. All week he had been too distracted to complete this report but now things seemed to be worse than they had been to begin with. No matter what he did his thoughts kept wandering back to her. To their last….encounter. Replaying every moment of it in his head over and over again.

Looking back he could kick himself for allowing it to happen. When she had shown up in Paris he should have had the authorities take her in. That should have been the end of it. At the time he had justified it to himself, telling himself that she had not stolen anything in Paris, during their time there, and it would not make sense to have her arrested due to that.

Utterly ignoring her previous record had seemed the convenient thing to do at the time, so it was understandable that he had done so. No need to cause a scene, and he was spending that rare weekend on his own. There were not many times he had been able to do that. Arresting Carmen Sandiego? That would throw the whole weekend into chaos. He would immediately have to return to ACME, deal with the press not to mention foreign leaders and law enforcement. Very messy, very time consuming, and more to the point it would take away any free time that he had. Really, any justification he could have found to avoid arresting her.

While the alternative was more counterproductive in terms of his career, it did offer him a much more relaxing way to spend his vacation. He would be lying if he said that he had not enjoyed that time with her immensely. It was selfish, he knew, but at the time that had been the furthest thing from his mind. It was something he should not have done; and now he found that he was paying the price for it.

Picking up his pen again he valiantly attempted to force Carmen from his mind and work. These reports would not write themselves and the sooner they were finished the sooner they would be able to move onto the next tasks for the meetings. The sooner everything was accomplished the sooner he would be able to leave this place, and hopefully these thoughts, for good.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hello All! Here is chapter 6! Thank you again so much for all of the support I've been getting on this story, your reviews really do brighten my day and encourage me to continue. I know I'm not always great at posting consistently, but you all have been such a great help. I will be starting a new job soon, so hopefully that will level out my schedule a bit. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Carmen Sandiego...Obviously.**

* * *

"She's plotting something Zack, I just know she is." Ivy said pacing up and down the floor of ACME's recreation room.

"Who's plotting something sis?" Zack asked flipping through a comic book.

"Her." Ivy said gesturing her hands outward.

"Ive, I don't mean to nitpick, but you're going to have to be a bit more specific. "Her" could refer to something like half of the world's population."

Ivy clearly wasn't paying attention to him. "Always in the library or the lab. Going over old case files. I don't like it."

"Are you referring to Dr. Romano?" Zack asked putting his comic book down.

"You know full well that Dr. Romano isn't her real name." Ivy said in reply.

"Certainly, it's her title. Nobody is named doctor Ives." Zack teased his sister.

"You're not taking this seriously enough Zack." Ivy replied. "You know full well that Dr. Francesca Romano is just a pseudonym for Carmen."

"We've been through this Ivy. You're being paranoid. I've run all of the checks you've asked me to. Gone through the server and other files, and everything checks out." Zack said. "You are worrying over nothing."

"Computer files can be changed. For someone with technical skills like Carmen's it would be no problem to create a digital alter ego." Ivy said.

"I did think about that Ivy, which is why I took the liberty of meeting with some of the team over in Florence where she was based out of. Her file checks out completely. Everyone I met with had wonderful experiences working with her." Zack said. "It makes sense that you had some suspicions, but I really believe that they were unfounded."

"Think about this then little bro, in the time that Dr. Romano has been here Carmen has been absolutely silent. No activity from ACME whatsoever." Ivy said. "How often does that ever happen."

"It has been weeks since we have had any Carmen sightings or heists." Zack said. "That doesn't mean that she is here though. Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps Carmen might need a vacation or a break once in awhile too? I mean as exhausting as it is chasing her can you imagine just how tiring it is for her?"

"Zack, that isn't funny. She is a thief it's not like she has a normal job as we do. If she wanted vacations she could do something else." Ivy said flustered. "Besides, it's Carmen, she does not do vacations. Even when she was a detective she didn't."

"Ivy, don't take this the wrong way but it feels like you're grasping at straws right now. Given that she didn't take vacations even then would it not follow that perhaps she is due for one now? Why not just enjoy the fact that we have a little bit of free time for now. Dr. Romano isn't doing you any harm."

"There's just something about her Zack."

"Could it have anything to do with the fact that she absolutely trounced you on the obstacle course multiple times?" Zack asked innocently.

"She did not trounce me, things were pretty close. Besides I've just been off my game for the last couple of weeks. You know because of the whole Carmen thing."

"Then now is the perfect time for you to get some rest and recuperate. Do something for yourself, engage in higher education. Someday you might even attain my level."

"You really do crave pain, don't you little bro?" Ivy said cracking her knuckles.

Zack gulped, and quicker than a flash he was off the couch and sprinting out of the room, Ivy hot on his heels.

When the sibling detectives had vacated the room Carmen stepped through the doorway. While she had not gone to the recreation room for the express purpose of eavesdropping she had nevertheless found herself in a position where she had overheard their entire conversation. For a few moments she had considered joining them in the room but that would have created a situation that was potentially far more awkward.

In the weeks she had been back at ACME doing research for this case she had been accepted into the fold fairly quickly. While she did spend a fair amount of time by herself she had been social, and even on friendly terms with many of the detectives. Zack had been especially welcoming and agreeable. Of course he always was, even when he was pursuing her on a case.

She had known that Ivy would be the most likely to suspect something. It was in her nature and she had a strong intuition about these things. Perhaps it should have worried her more than it did that Ivy had her suspicions. Right now though, she was in no place to be worried by such matters. They had very little bearing on her job, and as long as nobody else believed them she was in fine shape.

Walking over to the piano she sat down and began to play the opening bars of Chopin's Minute Waltz. The music was one way she could escape her pain and help her focus more on what she had to do. Many evenings she had found herself in here practicing and getting lost in the music. It was by far the most effective of all of the different remedies she had tried. As an added bonus it helped to sharpen her mind and help her make more connections in the case.

"Hello Chief." She said after a moment without missing a beat. He had popped in behind her as she had been playing the key change.

"Car….Dr. Romano." he said catching himself again. "We need to talk about something."

"I'm listening Chief." she replied not taking her eyes off of the instrument.

"It's rather a delicate matter I am afraid." he said not quite knowing how to address things. "It would seem that Director Devineaux will be returning in the next two weeks or so….." He stopped when he heard the sudden clash in notes. Carmen had faltered on what she was playing when she had heard that name.

"Is everything quite alright?" he asked her after a moment.

"Yes, yes. Quite alright." Carmen replied after a moment. "I suppose I should be getting my things in order and getting out then."

"What? No." Chief said a little forcefully. "Absolutely not. I just thought it would be good to give you the heads up considering the….history the two of you have. I don't pretend to know what the status of your relationship is now. I would imagine though, that the situation is still rather delicate."

"That's very thoughtful of you Chief, thank you." Carmen replied. She had started to fiddle with the gold band on the chain around her neck. "Perhaps it would be best if I were to leave though. Else it put him in a bad temper. It would not be fair to make the detectives here suffer his wrath on my account."

"I won't hear of it Carmen." Chief said. "We need you here right now, and you know it as much as everyone else does. Without your assistance we will never be able to bring Toscano to justice. With him on the loose you will never be safe."

"What are you going to do to keep me here?" Carmen asked dryly. "Arrest me?"

"Don't give me ideas." Chief replied.

"What about the detectives then?" Ivy is certainly more than suspicious about who I am already. Perhaps it would be for the best."

"I won't hear of it. You're staying." Chief said sternly. "Further Chase would say the same thing. You are needed here the most."

"Ivy's suspicions though?"

"I'll think of something to put them to rest." Chief said. "Just be patient with me."

"Fine." Carmen said reluctantly. "I should probably be getting back to my room."

"I'll leave you to it then." Chief replied. "Please though, don't do anything foolish Carmen and please don't leave. We need you here, and we need you safe."

Carmen nodded. If it had been anyone else but the Chief she wouldn't have heeded the request. He was one person she hated to let down. The Chief blinked out after that and Carmen was left in solitude once again.

The walk to her rooms was a relatively quiet one. Nobody was around now and she was glad of it. Her emotions might have broken the facade she was trying so desperately to maintain. Normally keeping up a disguise was easy. Blending into a crowd wasn't a challenge for her. In the past few weeks however, everything had felt off.

This whole ordeal had changed her. Though she would never admit it aloud she was glad that the Chief had insisted that she stay. Truth be told she did not want to go back out into the world. Since the night of her attack she had not left the ACME building. There were times that she had thought about VILE; but less than she ever had in recent years. She wanted to feel guilty for that, it was her organization after all, at least technically it was.

Her staff there would be fine operating on their own. There had been several times where out of necessity she had been out of contact with them for up to several months at a time. They knew that without orders from her they were to return to their more…conventional business endeavors. While most people had known VILE as a criminal organization it was also behind a number of perfectly legitimate businesses.

Regardless she should have found some way to go and check in on them. Some way to see what they were up to and if perhaps Sara Bellum was allowing the freedom to go to her head….again. Allowing her to return to the organization after her release from prison was something that many in VILE had raised eyebrows at. The woman had impersonated her and had gone a long way towards ruining her pristine reputation. However Carmen had a firm belief in offering second chances. She also made certain that Sara was being carefully monitored at all times. As of now, she had not seen anything on CrimeNet to indicate that anything was amiss, nor had anyone attempted to contact her from VILE. So for the time being this would have to fall into the out of sight out of mind category. It was necessary for her survival.

When she had reached her room she closed the door behind her and did something she never did. Rather than going to her desk to get some more work done, or getting a book, or even making a meal she laid down on top of her bed and cried. She had been doing her best the the past few weeks to clear suppress these emotions. Burying herself in work for hours on end. Researching, anything to get her mind off of her present situation.

Now that Chase would be back in the picture she was not sure how well her resolve would last. If it would last. She had last seen him the day before, or rather the morning of the incident. The terms she had left him on were not the best and she knew that he would be angry with her. Perhaps not as angry as she was with herself, but angry nonetheless.

She also knew that he would be the person to recognize her when he returned to ACME. The one who would easily confirm Ivy's suspicions. He knew her better than anyone else, even the Chief. If he did not call her out on her disguise within a few hours she would be incredibly surprised. If he was going to be back at ACME soon she would have to prepare, and fast.

Sitting up she dried her eyes and fought back the nausea that her emotions had brought on. If she was going to have any chance of escaping his notice and passing as someone else. This was no time to be wallowing in self pity and other emotions, this was time that she needed to spend working.

Carmen had only just sat down at her desk again when the Chief popped in. "Carmen, this is probably, hopefully, the only time I am ever going to ask you this, but I need you to steal something."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Hello All, and Happy Halloween! I hope you are doing well. Thank you so much for the lovely reviews and messages again, they really have helped me to keep this story going. Writing is lonely sometimes and it's nice to have friends. :) Another chapter should be coming in the next day or two. The new job is proving a bit hectic, but hopefully my schedule will calm down again soon. Please enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Carmen Sandiego, in any of her incarnations.**

* * *

Carmen cocked her head to the right wondering if she had heard him correctly. He couldn't be serious. The very notion was ridiculous. "Chief." She said after a moment. "What are you getting at?"

"You were right, Ivy is getting suspicious, I need you to steal something. Anything, just to keep her and the others distracted. The detectives are getting restless."

"So let me get this straight, you want me to steal something?"

"Yes." The Chief replied. "As I previously stated the detectives are getting restless."

"This happened just now?" she asked him suspiciously. "Really that does seem to be a rather quick turn around. Not half an hour ago you were telling me that you did not want me leaving."

"Well, maybe it's quick, but it's necessary. No I don't want you leaving but it seems unavoidable now. Just do your thing steal something, anything. Give the detectives something to work with." Chief said rather frazzled now.

"Are you sure that it is the detectives that you are worried about?" Carmen asked surprised. "Nobody else?"

"Nope. Nobody at all." The Chief said not meeting her eyes. "Say, that's a lovely picture you've got there on the wall. Have you been redecorating lately? I love the look of this place."

"Don't change the subject Chief." Carmen said addressing him a little more harshly than she had intended to. "There is clearly something that you are not telling me. Someone wants me out of the picture for awhile."

"No, no. That isn't it at all." Chief said.

"Does someone suspect my presence here?" Carmen asked. "Someone higher up in the organization? Chase perhaps?"

"Nothing to do with the Director." The Chief said in reply. "Look Carmen, I can't tell you who it is, but someone within the organization, above my level, has made certain statements, that while not explicitly suspecting that you are, well you, they are inferring that perhaps in this recent bit of inactivity you have either started spying on our organization from within, or that you have gone a touch darker in your crimes."

"I'm not sure I understand." Carmen said. "A touch darker? What on earth could they be implying."

"There have been some recent accusations, that perhaps you are not quite so honorable as you are made out to be. That you have taken a leave of absence to plan something truly nefarious." He said.

Carmen just looked at him stunned. "You want me to steal something to defend my reputation?" she asked.

"Not exactly. I don't want you stealing things, however it would look better. Oh you know, I just, I don't want them thinking that you, believing that you, would be capable of some of the crimes that were put forth. You would never commit espionage against ACME, you would never participate in any of the dealings he said you did. You understand?"

Carmen could not help but smile a bit. He really, truly, did care about her. Enough to suggest she do something that pained him so much to watch her do. "I'm truly flattered Chief." She said at last. "You do see some good in me still; but perhaps you see more than there really is. I do not know that I am worth your putting your neck on the line. What would happen to you if someone was listening in on this conversation?"

"Carmen, don't say that about yourself, you are absolutely worth it, and I think most people know that. Whatever happens to me happens. I take necessary precautions. Extra security and all that. Besides what happened with Maelstrom was just a one time incident. It won't happen again."

"That's certainly comforting to know. Are you forgetting the time I hacked into the system and took you with me for Christmas?"

"Not at all, but I was compromised with a virus at the time. At any rate though, will you steal something? Anything? I cannot believe I am saying this, but it would put my mind at ease."

"Anything Chief?" she asked innocently, a coy smile on her lips.

"Now don't let this get to your head Carmen, I don't want you to get too carried away." Chief said backtracking a little bit. "I just need to remind you that this is not something that I condone. I don't wish to find out that you've stolen the Golden Gate Bridge, or the Washington Monument or anything along those lines."

"What wonderful ideas Chief." she said picking up a pen and paper. "I never would have considered those before. You think big. Maybe I should be taking a leaf out of your book. We could certainly use you at VILE"

"That's not what I, oh Carmen, you know I would never promote criminal activity. Do not, I repeat, do not steal the Washington Monument." Chief said.

Carmen smiled coyly at him. "Alright, I will not steal the Washington Monument….Today."

Chief raised an eyebrow at her. "Do what you will other than that. Just give my detectives something to work with. Something that will take them awhile to solve."

"Okay…." Carmen replied after a moment. "Do you not think it might raise some suspicion if I were to go missing and then Carmen were to pull a heist?"

"You may be right…." Chief said after a moment. "How about this? I can tell them you are sick, or you can fake an illness or something. Anything that would keep you out of the way for a few days."

"A few days Chief, you want me to be gone for a few days?" Carmen asked incredulously.

"Not necessarily, but we must be prepared for that if need be." He replied. "You could always come back and hide out in here until you "recover" before returning to the search. That way it will detract suspicion from the whole your being Carmen Sandiego thing."

"Would it not be easier for me to have one of my henchmen steal something, or better yet have one of the women in my employment dress up as me and steal something. They would have to realize that I am not blessed with bilocation." Carmen said after a moment. "That would perhaps be the least complicated means of doing something."

"They would get suspicious if you were to send someone else to do something, you could easily call a henchman from here." Chief said. "As far as having someone dress up as you, remember what happened with Sara Bellum when she went a little power crazy? She nearly ruined your image, and she caused a number of problems with VILE and ACME. Something like that could happen again, with you here there would be no way to make sure we could clear your name without blowing your cover. No it would be too risky."

"Fine." Carmen said at last. "I'll do it. Just give me a few days to get something planned. It will have to be somewhat autonomous to keep the detectives occupied though. As I would preferably like to be back here and working as soon as possible. What type of bug am I supposedly going to come down with?"

"Wonderful Carmen, I'm so happy you're doing this!" The Chief replied. Carmen had to say this was probably the most peculiar situation she had ever been in with him. Imagine that, the Chief telling her to steal something, and then getting excited about it. How things had changed. "Don't get too excited though." He amended.

"You should be ill with a stomach bug or something of the sort. People will be less likely to ask questions. They'll also be less likely to come and check on you." Chief said after a moment. "Unless you would prefer to contract some tropical sickness, in which case Malaria or yellow fever are great. That would be insurance that you would not get any visitors."

"I think I will stick with a stomach bug." Carmen said. "Malaria or Yellow Fever are a bit too dramatic, not to mention far fetched, for my tastes. Our goal is not to quarantine all of ACME HQ."

"Point taken. A stomach bug will do just fine for you then. Think you can handle all of this? Planning a heist? Faking an illness? Sneaking out of the building?" Chief asked.

Carmen merely raised an eyebrow at him. This did not deserve a response. "Would you like a copy of my itinerary, for the heists, or would you prefer to be in the dark as well?"

"Yes, no, yes, no. Wait, yes, oh, no. Oh I don't know." Chief replied. "I want to know where you will be in the case that you are put in danger, but I also don't want to risk giving something away to Zack or Ivy and thus making this case too easy for them."

"You don't actually think that I will allow them to capture me, do you?" Carmen asked after a moment. "You can rest assured that I have not lost my reflexes. If you don't believe me check the rankings for the obstacle course."

"Yes, the whole agency knows about that. Ivy hasn't stopped cursing the board that lists the rankings." Chief said. "It's a good thing her competitive streak is well known, else everyone would be giving her theory more thought."

"Perhaps she just needs to use her brain bit more, and concentrate a little bit less on her athletic prowess to have a more successful time." Carmen said. "Would you like that itinerary or not then?"

"Alright, then give me a copy of the plan once you have finished."Chief said. "I will let you get to it then. If you, ah, need anything don't hesitate to come find me." With that he blinked out and Carmen was left alone with her thoughts once again.

Now the real task was before her. She would have to figure out some heist that would be simple to execute, yet tricky to figure out. Something that would give the detectives something to do, whilst still allowing them the freedom to work on actual cases if they were to come in. Taking out a pen she began writing out her plans. Eventually she would put this in the computer to pass along to the Chief, heavily encrypted of course. When planning something out though she had always preferred pen and paper to anything else. A carry over from when she had first started at ACME.

This should have been exciting for her. Exhilarating even, yet she could not seem to stop the impending feeling of doom that was welling up in her stomach. Nerves like she had never felt before. She felt dizzy and queasy just thinking about what she would have to a deep breath she tried to calm herself down. She would do this. As she had done many heists before. This time though, she knew that it would be far more difficult. Even more difficult than that first time had been.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Hello All! I'm back after what feels like an exceedingly long absence. I'm afraid school and life got in the way of writing, but here is an extra long chapter and the promise of another one to come in the near future. Thank you so much for your reviews and kind words, they have really made my days and encouraged me to finally get this chapter edited and posted! You are all so wonderful, and even though this year has been pretty rough with the new job, you've been helping to keep me going. :)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Carmen Sandiego, if I did this would all be canon.**

* * *

The meetings in Osaka were still going strong. Chase was beginning to think he would lose his mind before being able to return home from this blasted gathering. Not a bit of news from the outside world. For all he knew there could be a nuclear war, or Carmen could have kidnapped the president! Even now she was still on his mind. Childish and immature, he knew, but he was still blaming his lack of concentration on her instead of himself.

Even now he was having a difficult time clearing his mind. He was finding that instead of relaxing him this meditation class was bringing up more memories. He felt that he would have been better off in meetings today or perhaps filling out paperwork. There was arguably less time to concentrate on other things than in this situation. At the very least there were outside distractions and things for him to think about there. Here it was just him and his thoughts. Every time he closed his eyes he could not seem to get her image out of his mind.

* * *

"Good morning." she said walking up to him with a bag from a local bakery in her hands.

"Good morning." he said looking up from his watch at her. "You decided to come then." After taking in some of the city the evening before the two of them had parted ways. They had tentatively agreed to meet up the following morning but Chase was not sure whether or not Carmen would actually follow through with that. She could be rather unpredictable at times.

"I did say that I would." she replied with a raised eyebrow. "Don't look so surprised. Unless you were expecting so see someone else." She nodded towards the two cups he held in his hands.

"Oh, well…." Chase said blushing a bit.

"I know you love your caffeine, but I would think one cup of coffee at a time should suffice." She said with a look. "Especially over here, the stuff is so strong that if you were to leave your spoon in it for too long it would dissolve. How you drink it straight I shall never know."

"When you are brought up on this stuff that's another matter entirely." He said handing one of the cups to her.

She breathed in deeply taking in the rich aroma and then took a sip. "You remembered." she said with a small smile. "Just how I like it."

"It's good to know that some things never change." Chase said with just a hint of a smile.

"I nearly forgot." she said opening the bag that she held. "This is for you." She handed him a pastry.

Picking it up he saw that it was pain au chocolat, from his favorite bakery. "It seems that you remembered as well." he said with a smile.

"Just as you said before. Some things never change." Carmen said with a smile and a wink. "Don't worry, I'll never tell your secret."

"Which one?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "I have a number of them, and many of them involve an individual who shall remain nameless."

"I haven't the foggiest idea to whom you are referring." Carmen said innocently fingering the chain of a necklace that she was wearing under her dress. "Even if I did that little secret is safe too. Although I believe it pales in comparison to your great love of chocolate. Imagine, one as stoic and unapproachable as you having such a sweet tooth! What a scandal that would be for you, none of ACME would ever take you seriously again!"

He smiled a bit and nudged her arm playfully with his elbow as they crossed the street. "You're right. Such a scandalous secret leaking to the public would cause irreparable damage to my pristine reputation. I would be utterly ruined, my career would be over. I could no longer be "stoic."

Carmen nudged him back. "Careful there, you're breaking character already. It would seem that one bit of chocolate has altered you entirely. Careful, lest I start to believe that you might be flirting with me."

"We could not have that, now could we?" Chase said in a very serious tone. "It simply would not do."

"I would agree completely." Carmen said in an equally serious tone, throwing away the now empty pastry bag and coffee cup she had held.

"It would be highly unprofessional." He said throwing away his cup as well and linking his arm with hers.

"Very much so indeed." She said slipping her hand into his and intertwining their fingers. "It would almost be as bad as everyone finding out about your chocolate addiction. I would hate to see the consequences of that."

"It's certainly a good thing that we are not engaging in the act of flirting then." Chase said.

"Indeed, that would be highly problematic." She said with a gleam in her eye. "So, my completely platonic impartial tour guide. What is it that we are going to do first on this trip today?"

"I thought that perhaps today perhaps we could start with some of the more touristy things. Parks, picturesque streets, churches." Chase said "We should be arriving at our first stop right about now."

"You would start the tour in Montmartre wouldn't you?" Carmen said with a smile. "Oh it feels like ages since we have been here."

"It does indeed." Chase replied as they walked through the picturesque streets. It had been a very long time since the two of them had travelled this way together. Although it was early morning tourists were already out and about trying to take in all of the sights. It was busy, but not crowded. The calm before the storm.

As they travelled through the winding streets there was a comfortable silence between the two of them. After all of this time Chase found it a comfort that indeed, some things never changed between them. There was nobody else he was this comfortable with. Not that he would dare to admit it aloud. That would have been a complete breach in character for him.

After wandering around for a few minutes they found themselves in the arts district. The streets here were much busier, lined with artists of all kinds. Drawing, painting, creating masterworks. "Anything here you would find worthy of theft?" Chases asked Carmen quietly. "Anything you would like to add to that collection of yours?"

"Remember dear, I am on vacation at the present. None of that here." Carmen said lightly tapping his arm with her other hand. "I would certainly buy some of this work. I certainly believe that we should support young artists, the next generation."

"I'm surprised to hear you say that." Chase said looking at her this time. "Although in retrospect it does sound more like you. You don't steal for the sake of stealing something."

"I'm glad we've established that finally." She said, and Chase got the feeling that she really wanted to change the subject.

"Has your vacation been going well?" Chase finally asked fishing for something.

"So far it's been quite pleasant." She said looking around and taking in the sights. "The past day or so has made things significantly better."

When she had added that last part he felt his heart jump just a little bit. He knew that he should have been proceeding more cautiously, but that was easier said than done. "I'm glad." He finally said in reply hoping that his face would not betray him any. "I would say that my vacation has improved significantly as well." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Madame, Monsieur, would you like a portrait? To capture this fine day? It will give you a memory you will not forget." Said a man across the street.

Chase looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. He was about to say no when he thought differently, why not try something touristy for once? Yes, he was a native to this place, but he was also an American now. "What do you think?" He asked looking at Carmen. "Would you like to see if he can capture our likenesses?"

"I would like that." She said with a half smile. "It would be something different. Nice to have a recent picture of the two of us."

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow as he led her over to the artist at the other side of the street. The man in question was perhaps the most stereotypical French artist he had ever witnessed in real life before. He wore a gaudy cape tied with a bow, and a beret sat slightly askew on his head. There was a large pallet in his left hand and he stood in front of an easel and canvas. If nothing else, this would prove to be an interesting experience.

"Lovely, lovely, tres magnifique." The man said clapping his free hand. "Madame and Monsieur are looking quite lovely today. I saw them walking down the street and I said to myself this is a couple I must paint. So young, so in love. Please, please take a seat. It will not take long at all I only need to get a sketch of you now and it will be finished this evening."

Chase looked at Carmen and the two took a seat on a bench across from the artist. "Very good, very good." He said framing them with his fingers. Chase had to say he had never before seen anyone who fit the stereotype so well before. It was quite amusing.

"Actually no, stand up and face one another. That's good, very good. Now if you would Monsieur, please take the lady's hands in yours, very good. Oh a blush, how sweet Madam, what a lovely smile you have! If you could also….oh that is perfect hold that pose for just a few minutes and I will let you go on your way."

Chase and Carmen now stood facing one another hand in hand, her head tucked just underneath his chin. On impulse Chase leaned forwards just a bit and kissed the top of her head chastely. The artist did not say anything this time around, but out of the corner of his eye Chase could see him smiling. They stood there like that for the greater part of an hour before the artist told them that they could move.

"Very good, very good, 'ave a look." He said gesturing towards the canvas before him. The man had managed to capture a remarkable likeness and in such a short time. Chase was really quite impressed.

"It's lovely Monsieur Chapeau!" Carmen said enthusiastically in French. "Simply marvelous."

Chase looked at her surprised that she was acquainted with the artist. Evidently the artist too was surprised, as he looked somewhat confused. After a moment however recognition seemed to dawn upon him and a warm smile soon replaced the look of confusion.

"Oh Madame," he said coming over and hugging Carmen and kissing both of her cheeks enthusiastically. "I am so sorry I did not recognize you sooner. You look so very different now! As beautiful as ever though my dear!"

Chase was now quite perplexed and more than a little bit curious about this whole situation. Of course she lived her own life, she was very much her own person. The fact that she had other friends, and colleagues that he did not know about should not have been a surprise to him. Yet there was something about the way that this man acted, that really bothered him.

"I am on holiday." She said with a wave of her hand. "That brings about difference enough. Surely you could not expect me to have my usual uniform."

"No, no, it is not the clothes Madame. I have just never seen you so….happy before. It looks as if a weight has been lifted from your shoulders. It makes you look like a completely different person." He said, and Carmen turned with a blush.

"Vacation does that to a person you know. Not having to worry about work can be quite the stress reliever." Carmen said matter of factly.

"We both know it is something different than that." He said tapping her nose with his index finger. There was a twinkle in his eyes as he said this. "It is the look of someone who is very much in love. Speaking on that note is this….."

"Yes." Carmen replied with a smile. "This is Chase." The other man still had his arm around her and there was an easiness in her manner that Chase had not seen in some time.

"I am so pleased to finally be able to meet you. Madame has told me so much about you." He said shaking Chase's hand vigorously. "I am Chapeau, Pierre Chapeau. It has been an absolute privilege to be able to paint the two of you today. Oh to think that I would have a chance like this! I am so very happy for the two of you. You are so lucky to have Madame, she is a wonderful woman."

"It's very good to meet you too, and yes I agree that she is quite wonderful." Chase said still at something of a loss for words.

"Really, the best woman in the world. Make sure that you take care of her, that you treat her well." Chapeau said giving her another squeeze.

"Of course, I would do nothing less." Chase said, some slight irritation in his voice now. "Well, we do have plans for today and we do not want to keep you from your work…." Perhaps it was a bit harsh, but Chase found that while this man was quite the artist he wanted to get away from him, or rather he wanted to get Carmen away from him now.

"Yes, but of course, I should not keep you any longer, you two should go, enjoy yourselves and this beautiful city. Come back this evening and the painting will be finished. Now go, explore the city, see the sights! Live a little!" He kissed Carmen's cheeks one more time before letting them go, almost shooing them away now. They soon found themselves wandering the streets of Paris once more; Carmen's arm linked with Chase's. "So you two seemed to be on rather familiar terms." Chase said after a few minutes of strolling down the winding streets.

"I'm not sure what you mean by familiar." Carmen said lacing her fingers through his once again.

"The way he greeted you, it was far more personal than one would greet an acquaintance." Chase said gesturing a bit with his free hand. "Lots of touching, and contact. Do you need a handkerchief after that, maybe a disinfectant wipe? I might have one on me somewhere." He began to reach into his pockets.

"Since when are you a germaphobe?" Carmen asked teasingly. "I'm sure he was not carrying some dangerous virus. I think I will be fine."

"You never can tell with these artist types." Chase said. "They are exposed to all sorts of germs and diseases here on the streets. All of the tourists and such. Not to mention the pigeons, you know they carry diseases right?"

Carmen stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. "Why Chase, don't tell me that you of all people are jealous." She said the faintest hint of a smile on her face.

"Jealous? No certainly not….. I was just curious, you seemed to know him pretty well." Chase said somewhat flustered now. "Also the germs, you could come down with something, and that would be bad. You need to stay healthy."

"You're jealous." she said flatly. "I'm touched, I'm really touched. After all this time you still care enough to be jealous." She squeezed his hand in hers.

"I'm not jealous, you just seemed to know him pretty well. Or at least he seemed to be very familiar with you" Chase said rubbing the back of his head with his hand.

"He's not my type Chase." Carmen said.

"What exactly is your type then?" he asked her after a moment.

"Apparently insecure Frenchmen." She said with a smirk.

"You think you are funny, don't you." He said with a shake of his head.

She just raised an eyebrow at him in reply. "You really are adorable. Especially when you are all worked up like this." she said caressing his cheek with her free hand. "Remind me to introduce you to all of my male acquaintances."

"That could be quite problematic. Nobody will ever take me seriously again, if I am adorable. I'm supposed to be stoic, remember?" Chase asked wrapping his free arm around her her waist and pulling her close.

"Oh yes, I nearly forgot. So this is just a temporary lapse on your side then?" She asked him. "Brought on by this charming atmosphere, and your apparent distrust of street artists and pigeons."

"That might have something to do with it, but I think there are perhaps stronger forces conspiring against me at the moment." He said in mock seriousness.

"Indeed?" she asked him? "Just what might those be.

He pretended to think for a moment. "The beauty that is before me now."

"Paris is quite lovely." Carmen said in reply.

"Oh, I wasn't referring to the city." He said. "Although I suppose it does add a certain ambience."

Carmen smiled and a light blush spread over her cheeks. Not normally one for public displays of affection Chase pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. As the two of them stood there it felt as if they were the only people in area, although logic told him that the street was crowded with people. The two of them stood like that together until without warning the sky opened up and it began to pour. Holding her hand they raced for cover under a nearby building. For once neither of them was prepared.

It was almost refreshing. Carmen laughed as they ran through puddles and the rain soaked them. Once they had found a dry spot Chase removed his blazer and placed it over Carmen's shoulders. They waited together for the storm to clear silently watching the rain came down. It did not last long, as many spring showers were not in the habit of this, and soon the sun was shining again.

"Would you like to go find some dry clothes?" Chase asked her once things seemed clear enough to leave their shelter.

"No, I should think we will dry off soon enough anyway, besides there is still so much to see and do and I would hate to waste any time." She said brightly.

"If you are sure." He said in reply.

Carmen smiled at him. "I am quite sure." She said "Come on, let's go be tourists some more." With that she pulled him out from under the shelter with her and Chase could not help but smile too as they continued on with their journey.

* * *

"Chase, are you quite alright?" A voice said pulling him out of his thoughts. Chase opened his eyes to find that he was the only one left in the gardens now, well the only one aside from the person who had just brought him back to the present. He looked over to see his friend Edward looking at him rather concerned.

"I'm fine." Chase said with a sigh. "I suppose I just got a little bit carried away."

"That is certainly an understatement. The class ended more than twenty minutes ago. Everyone else went inside for lunch." Edward said. "You must have had something quite interesting on your mind."

"You could say that." Chase said moving to stand up. "Perhaps we should be getting inside."

"Let's wait a few minutes." Edward said pushing him back down gently. "You have been distracted these past several weeks and I would like to know what the cause of it is. Something has clearly been weighing on your mind lately."

"It's nothing, something I should have been able to handle by now." Chase said with a wave of his hand.

"Chase, I'm not talking to you as a colleague right now. I'm talking to you as your friend. As your concerned friend. Our conversation will stay in confidence." Edward said emphatically. "Now please, tell me what is going on. Something is wrong. I have known you too long to think otherwise."

"Carmen." was all he had to say.

"I see." Edward said sympathetically. "Professionally or personally?"

"Personally." Chase said with a sigh.

"That certainly sheds some light on the situation." Edward said finally. "I take it you saw her again recently?"

"Right before these meetings actually. I, we, were together in Paris." Chase said at last. "It was not the wisest decision that I have made in recent memory. It was not exactly planned either. At least not on my part."

"What exactly happened?" Edward asked. "I know your arrangement is complicated to say the least."

"That is certainly an understatement." Chase said. "The same thing that happens every time. Only this time it was a bit more painful than it has been in the past."

"She left again this time." Edward said.

"That she did, but it is not as if I should not have been expecting her to do just that." Chase said with a sigh.

"She is something of a free spirit." Edward said. "It's in her nature, and it always has been. She's also never been good with goodbyes."

"Of course not, she would actually have to stick around long enough for there to be a goodbye." Chase said frustratedly. "Again, I know I should not be surprised. Yet in times past there have been goodbyes. It's my own fault I should have been prepared for this."

"I cannot imagine what it would be like to be in your situation." Edward said. "What I can say is that you should not be blaming yourself for this. Carmen is Carmen, things with her are not necessarily straightforward or easy. The things you have gone through are not normal situations, and they can be painful."

"I just feel so used this time. It's starting to wear on me." Chase said. "It feels like sometimes I am just her toy. She comes to see me when she wants to play house, and then she disappears off into the sunset leaving me behind to pick up the pieces."

"Carmen is many things, but she is not a user." Edward said. "While I do not agree with how she treats you in times like this I do know that she genuinely loves you. If she didn't she wouldn't seek you out at all. Although I digress we have been over this before. If only the two of you were not so stubborn."

"Stubbornness aside I don't know how much longer I can take this. The constant disappearing act, this tug of war."

"She's always been a free spirit, we have come full circle on this. You knew that when the two of you…..Besides you were never the type to settle down yourself."

Chase sighed deeply. "It would be nice I think. A house in the country, a regular day job, some pets…..children."

"This is new." Edward said. "Is this a recent development for you?"

"It's always been on the back burner. Something I've thought of for a long while now. Every time I see her it bubbles to the surface again. Having something of a normal life would be quite nice I think."

"Children? Is that still a possibility for the two of you…." Edward asked trailing off.

"I would be happy to adopt." Chase said after a moment. "A family doesn't have to be blood. That is something that both Carmen and I have always had a firm belief in. She always said that she would like to give children a home."

"That would make sense." Edward said. "The two of you would be great if somewhat unconventional parents."

"It's a nice thought, but I am afraid right now it is more wishful thinking than anything else." Chase said. "That's what is so melancholy about it. It is so close, but yet so far. Something that I want, but deep down inside I know I will never get."

"I know you love her, but do you perhaps think it might be time to move on if you want something different. The two of you have been together this long, and you've been through a lot. I know it's a difficult thought, but if it tears you up this much it might be time to end things." Edward said.

"I would be lying if I said the thought had not crossed my mind in the past." Chase said at last. "I know the feeling, and at times it is tempting. I've had opportunities in the past. There have been several women I think I could have been content with. Yet I have also realized that as much as I would like that life, I know I would only be truly happy in a life like that with Carmen."

"In many ways you are a walking paradox." Edward said.

"You know what the worst part of this all is?" Chase asked putting his head in his hands?Edward nodded for him to continue.

"With as much pain as this has caused me, I would do it all again if I could. I love her, against all logic and all sense. Do I wish things could be different? Absolutely. Yet it is what it is. Even though I feel as if my heart was trampled on that week, even though I cannot get her off of my mind. I know I could not be happy with anybody else."

"If you'll pardon the expression, the fun is in the chase." Edward said with a slight smile. "Your love life is certainly never boring. Many couples could not say the same."

"That's a new spin on things." Chase replied. "I will say though, that I cannot wait until we can get out of these meetings. I feel like once we have access to the outside world it will be easier to return to normal life. I will recover from this and get back to my usual schedule. My focus can change from our love life to our professional lives and bringing her to justice."

"You have such a weird dynamic going on, just so you know." Edward said. "I am not judging you for that of course. It's just quite unconventional."

Chase gave the director of MI6 a gentle shove. "Let's go get lunch, the sooner we can get all of this done, the sooner we can get out of these meetings and back to the real world." It had felt good to be able to discuss this with someone, but it did not alleviate the inner turmoil that he was feeling right now. He had a feeling that for as long as these meetings were going on he would not have peace.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Hello All! I hope that you are all doing well under quarantine right now and keeping your spirits up. When I last wrote I had not anticipated the whole world falling into complete and utter chaos as it has. Nonetheless we are all now adjusting to a new normal. Perhaps I will be able to post some more again soon. I've got a number of new chapters in the pipeline now, in addition to several new ideas for more future chapters as well. We'll see how things go!**

 **Thank you again for the lovely reviews! :) They do brighten my days so!**

 **A note on this chapter. This is another "flashback" as it were, I seem to be stuck on those right now, but this time from Carmen's point of view. It goes back to the night of her assault. Everything remains in the T category; however there may be some scenes that could be potential triggers.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever owned the Carmen Sandiego Franchise.**

* * *

The streets of San Francisco were chilly this evening. Carmen found herself pulling her sweater more tightly around herself as she walked. Whether this was to shield her from the cold, or to provide her with some sense of protection she was not entirely sure. It was quite late, and she really should not have been out walking the streets, especially not on her own. Yet she could not bring herself to return to VILE, not quite yet anyway. Her mind was still racing from her time in Paris and she needed the cool air to cleanse it.

Coming back to San Francisco after Paris had been immensely difficult for Carmen. When this whole thing had started she had known that it would be, it always was when she and Chase parted. Over the years it never got any easier. Whether they were sparring with one another on opposite sides, or if they were meeting on personal terms it was a challenge. Without him here now she felt an emptiness inside of her chest as if her heart had been ripped out. This visit had been far more difficult than the rest had been over the years.

There were many times she thought back on the decisions she had made throughout the years and felt a sense of deep regret. They had caused her immeasurable pain and others as well. It had been a very hard step for her to take to turn to this life, but when the offer had been made to her she had known that it was the right thing to do. How utterly insane it had sounded at the time. To go from solving crimes to committing them? It still went against her moral grain to this day.

Some parts of it she liked, the mental gymnastics and the thrill of the chase. There was no way she could ever be bored. Having a complete organization and employees of her own was also quite useful and she was able to accomplish a lot of good through that, even if it was behind the scenes. She could also work in near complete autonomy. The directives she was given were minimal at best. Just a push or pull in this direction or that. The rest of the time she was free to be creative and do as she liked.

On the other hand it was difficult being her. She was not often able to see those whom she loved, and by necessity she was not at liberty to make too many personal connections with people. Maintaining her relationship with Chase was probably something she should not have been doing. It was risky business in more ways than one. Her employers had been afraid that they were too close. Perhaps they feared that she would end up saying more than she should because of their emotional involvement. If she was being honest with herself in the past she had come quite close to doing just that. Life certainly would have been far easier that way. Easier if he knew that things really were not all that different than they had been before. She knew though, that it would ruin things were she to do that.

As much as it would have been far easier for her to have cut the connection entirely; in her heart she knew that she could not do that. It would have crushed her. Yet with what she had done to him this morning she might as well have served him with divorce papers. After the wonderful weekend they had shared, and all of the years before that, this had perhaps been the most heartless thing she had ever done to him or anyone. Heaven knows he did not do anything to deserve her treatment. Had she left him on the tower it would have been a far gentler thing to do. Yet she had wanted more time with him. More time in a normal life. Her selfishness had led her to today.

From the moment she had snuck out the window of his bedroom earlier in the morning she had been wracked with guilt. In true Carmen Sandiego fashion she had made an escape, only this time she had not stolen anything but time. More than anything she wanted to go back and set things straight. Yet she knew if she had done that she would not have been able to leave. Had she faced him in person this morning she would have ended up staying; perhaps telling him everything too. That was why she had to do what she did. As utterly painful and cruel as it was.

As her mind wandered in all directions she had not even been paying much attention to where she was going. Without even thinking about it she pulled at the chain of the necklace she wore underneath her shirt and brought it out into the open clasping the simple ring it held tightly. It was modest, all they could afford in their early days as detectives, but she loved it all the more for that. It was the only piece of jewelry she regularly wore.

Her memories turned to the night before as she held it tightly in her hands. He'd cooked them dinner in his apartment, their apartment, and she had been helping him with the final preparations. It had felt like the old days again, a simple life like everyone else had. She was washing some of the dishes in the sink when he had come up behind her and pulled the pins out of her hair. All of it had come out of the twist she had tied it in earlier that morning, pins flying every which way. With hair like hers that had taken an inordinately long period of time to get it to stay in place to begin with.

"What was that for?" She asked looking up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I've been wanting to do that all week." He said by way of reply; placing his hands on her shoulders.

"That does not answer the question."

"Oh I think it does." He said. "You asked why, and I told you."

"Yes, but why?"

He just smiled at her without saying a word before leaning down and kissing her cheek. Pausing briefly his hands moved from her shoulder to the chain around her neck. "What is this?" He asked her.

"Nothing." She said hastily rinsing off her hands, but his grip on the chain did not loosen. Instead he pulled it up and out of her shirt, revealing the ring on the end of it.

He was silent for a moment as he held the ring in his hand examining it. "You still wear it."

"Always." Carmen replied wiping her hands on her apron and turning to face him. "Close to my heart." She watched him as he continued to stare at the ring in silence for a moment trying to make out his expression.

After a few more moments he replaced the ring. Then he kissed her gently before returning to the food on the stove. It was a simple gesture, Chase had never been one to overtly show his affections and emotions in a dramatic way. The kiss was enough. She was glad he had let her hair down, it was the only thing hiding her blush.

Even just thinking about that one little moment from the evening before was like a knife to the heart. It was sweet and happy, yet painful and melancholy as well. Looking down at the band one more time she replaced it under her shirt. She could feel hot tears pooling in her eyes now. Why oh why had she allowed herself to open up again the way she did? To indulge as much as she had? Where had her common sense been? Reopening old wounds and adding salt to them. Not a wise decision to make.

She kept wandering aimlessly around the city walking down sidewalks and occasionally passing other people. A voice in the back of her head said that she should have been more alert. More careful. Yet she ignored it. She was not, after all, walking down alleyways or anything of the sort. This was not what one would consider to be a dangerous part of town. She had walked down here several times before both in daylight and in twilight; there was no reason at all to be nervous. Her wandering continued until all at once it was interrupted.

"Hello Carmen." A male voice said from around the corner. She stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of it. The husky Italian accent surely could not have been the person she thought it was. It was not possible. Her heart was pounding now, her instincts told her that she should run and get out of there immediately. Yet she was too stunned to do anything.

"It's quite nice to see you again." The voice said as its owner rounded the corner and stood before her. This time it carried a voice that was completely different but one that matched the face. The man of a thousand faces. He had outdone himself on this count. He had managed to portray his subject in startling accuracy. How unnerving it was to see Chase Devineaux standing before her now.

"The time has passed by in an achingly slow manner, but I am here now, and you are here now too." He said looking at his watch. Even the way he stood was such a precise impersonation of the ACME director that Carmen had to keep telling herself it was not Chase that was standing before her, but Toscano.

"What on earth are you doing here?" She asked at last trying to keep her voice level. She was scanning the area around her trying to calculate the best chance she would have of escape.

He chuckled gently and walked up to her, caressing her cheek with his hand. "Is it not obvious?" He asked her somewhat condescendingly. "I am here to see you."

A chill ran down her spine. An extremely dangerous criminal had escaped from prison, an old adversary, and tracked her down. Given their last few encounters he was not there to make amends or catch-up. If she was not able to escape things would not end well for her. This much she knew.

"You've seen me." She said taking a step back from where she stood, but before she could move anymore he grabbed her wrist and yanked her towards him. His grip was viselike and she could not break free of it.

"You still have that razor sharp wit and determination I see." Toscano said with a chuckle. "It's quite a shame you could not be more useful to me. You could have joined me you know. We would have made a fantastic team." He caressed her cheek again, but this time she slapped his hand away with her free one.

"Tsk, tsk." He said shaking his head. "That was not a very smart move at all. For as similar as we are in character your impulsiveness and judgement are still quite lacking. I could have trained you well my dear."

"We are nothing alike." Carmen said in a dangerously quiet voice. "I've done quite well on my own, no need for your training. I for one have not been captured."

"Here we go again, you and your lofty morals. It's big talk for someone who has entranced the world as a thief. You are no better than I am really. Like me you also take what isn't yours. Don't think I have not heard about these things during my time in prison. Mark my words Carmen, being imprisoned would be a far better fate for you than anything I would do. By the time you get to that point I will have destroyed your reputation and everything that you have worked so hard for over the years. Taking away all that is dear to you in the process." Toscano said in a low voice close to her ear."You will be utterly ruined, and I will return to take my place as the greatest thief the world has ever known."

Carmen glared at him as he said this, still trying to figure out her best course of action to escape from this mad man. His appearance, and mannerisms were quite effective right now. She saw in front of her someone she loved deeply, yet this person was somebody else entirely. This wasn't Chase she needed to run, to get away, yet she couldn't. He was playing head games with her. Chase was in France right now. Perhaps already on his way to Osaka. Scheduling wise there was no way that he could be here.

"That's a fairly ambitious plan you have Toscano." Carmen said at last. As much as she had wanted to come up with a biting comeback it was almost useless to do that now. "I seem to recall that you always planned too much before and oftentimes failed miserably because you got in over your head."

"Oh you would not even be able to begin to understand what it is that I am working on now." Arturo said with a laugh that was not Chase's this time. Without warning he grabbed her and forcibly slammed her up against a brick wall. The impact had been enough to knock the wind out of her. The suddenness of it all was enough to throw her completely off guard, it even took a moment for the pain to sink in. In vain she tried to push him away from her but he slapped her across the face.

She went into survival mode to do everything she could to stop him. Flailing and pushing, but he managed to dodge all of her attacks. In the years since he had been imprisoned she had forgotten quite how strong he was. She kept up the struggle but stopped cold when he pulled a knife from his pocket. "I see some things never change." He said looking at the blade in the faint light of a street lamp. "It's fortunate I still have this particular tool, I almost lost it before my incarceration…."

Her blood ran cold she never thought that she would see that weapon again, and yet here it was. After all of these years it still hurt to see it. Something that had inflicted so much damage and pain. It took all of her resolve not to look away. With a wicked gleam in his eyes he held it to her stomach and she could not help but flinch. While the physical wound had long since healed the scar and the memories of it had not.

He was playing a vicious mental game with her. After that there was not much she could do to get away from him. To struggle too much more could mean certain death. Instead she went numb to everything, and tried to focus on something else, anything else as he attacked her. As he invaded her body. At least she would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She would never give him that. When he had finished with her he dragged her into the alleyway and left her there, damaged, scarred, and alone. Within a few minutes the pain overcame her and everything went black.

* * *

Carmen awoke suddenly, her heart pounding and covered in sweat. It took her a few minutes to realize that she was indeed back at ACME and that she was safe. Those memories from the assault had been so vivid in that dream it was as if they were happening all over again. The tears came back and she pulled the blankets on her bed more tightly around herself.

This was not the first time since the attack that she had dealt with this. She knew the trauma would be present for quite some time. Common sense told her that; but in vain she had hoped that things would have gotten at least somewhat easier by now. Burying herself in her work only did so much to distract her from what was going on and that only worked during the day when she was awake.

Sleeping with a light on had helped her somewhat, but there was only so much that it could do for her. Since the incident Dr. Evanston had told her that if ever there were problems or things she needed to talk about he would be available to her any time of the day or night. Looking at the clock next to her bed she saw that it was 4:00 in the morning. It was rather early, but she got out of bed and sent him a quick message anyway. At least that would not wake him up.

She was quite surprised when in a few minutes there was a knock at her door. Throwing a robe on over her pajamas she walked over and opened the door mentally preparing to put on the Italian accent again should she need to but when she opened it she found Edward standing there in his robe and slippers with two steaming mugs of cocoa. "May I come in?" He asked after a moment.

"Of course, yes, please do." She said stepping away from the door and then closing it behind him. "I do hope I did not wake you."

"Oh no, not at all. I actually just got off of my shift a little while ago." He said.

"Still, I'm sorry I am keeping your from your sleep." She said.

"There is no need to apologize. I told you any time of the day or night I would be available to you. I meant it then and I mean it now." He said looking over his glasses at her. "Now this is for you. I have found in my experiences that chocolate goes a very long way in helping to soothe the spirit."

He handed her the mug and she accepted it gratefully; taking in the sweet aroma and allowing the cup to warm her chilled hands as she took a seat on the bed. Edward took a seat across from her on her desk chair. The two sat there in silence for a little while. Carmen just staring into her mug, as if the answers to her problems might just flow to the surface or be washed away in the steam coming from the drink.

"I'm sorry for wasting your time." She said at last. "You should be resting and here I am bothering you."

"Don't you ever say that Carmen." Edward said after a moment. "You are not wasting my time, nor are you bothering me, I am here to help you. Even if that means just being another person in the room with you. What you went through is something that nobody should ever have to endure. I'm not going to sit here and say that everything is going to be okay. Everything is not okay right now, it is not normal. It will take time to recover and to learn your new normal."

"I just feel so…..weak right now. So utterly powerless, so defenseless." She said a few tears escaping as she did so. I'm not used to that. I like to have control over the situation. Control over my own person."

"I know that." Edward said taking her hand in his once again. "Just know this. You are not weak, you are not defenseless. You put up a good fight in the situation and you pulled yourself together. You have been doing amazing things throughout these past few weeks and you will continue to do them. We are all here for you at ACME, we always have been and we always will be."

"Thank you." She said finally wiping away her tears with one of her sleeves. "It is just very hard. Very hard indeed."

"Anytime of the day or night I will be here for you." Edward said again. "If you need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to reach out to me. I will be here for you. We are all here for you."

"I thank you, but I do not wish to be a bother. I know that you are quite busy." Carmen said looking away.

"Nonsense Carmen, I will not hear any of that. You are a patient under my care. I am not now, nor will I ever be too busy to help you." Edward said. "Nothing is more important to me than the health; physical, mental, and spiritual, of my patients, of my friends. I cannot emphasize that enough."

Carmen nodded, not fully wanting to accept what he said to her. Not because she did not believe what it was that he was saying, but because she did not want to disrupt ACME's daily operations anymore than she was already doing. To take away one of their best doctors because she was sad or anxious felt unreasonable to her. There were people coming in with serious injuries, and illnesses. The past few weeks had shown a spike in those. These were things that required immediate care.

"I know that look Carmen. I know it is sometimes difficult to accept help. I know you and how you always want to put others first. I know this is exactly the kind of thing that you do not want to hear from me; but sometimes you need to put yourself first. You need to help yourself, and rely on others so that you can in turn help more people. What you are going through is not trivial. Your pain and your wounds, are just as real as anyone else's." Edward said squeezing her hand. "Everyone here at ACME loves and cares for you. Both as Carmen and as Francesca. We want you to be at your best and completely healthy; we love having you around."

"I am deeply grateful for that, and for the kindness I have been shown here. I love and care for all of you as well. Yet with the Director's imminent return, perhaps it would be best if I were to take my leave."

"No." Edward said firmly; surprising Carmen. "What I mean is, it is not the time for you to leave. You need to stay safe and fully recover."

"When I first came here you said that I only need stay for a week, yet I have been here several now." Carmen replied looking down at her hands again. She did not really want to leave, but when Chase returned she was not sure she would have much of a choice in the matter. She might have been able to fool the ACME detectives with her disguise, just barely in some cases, but she could not hope to have the same luck with Chase. He knew her better than anyone.

"That was then, and that was the absolute minimum. Besides some of your physical wounds still have yet to heal. The Chief and I will deal with the Director should he have any problems." Edward said his tone much more serious. "Trust me, the Director and I have some things we must discuss. As soon as he arrives, which I would think should be any day now, I will make sure there is not a problem."

Carmen was quiet through all of this. For the past few days she had been concerned about what might happen when Chase returned. While part of her concern was how she had left him when she did; the other concerns ran far deeper than that. She was not sure that she would be able to face him in person without completely falling apart. She knew he was not the one who had violated her. Yet psychologically she could not separate his face, his body from what had happened to her. Her attacker had been so meticulous in his performance. Everything down to the smallest of details was there to make him appear, act, and sound like Chase.

To have been able to put on such a performance he must have been stalking her for awhile now, perhaps even during the time she had spent in Paris with Chase. The very thought of it all sent a chill down her spine. That someone as dangerous as this man had been watching her for who knows how long. Suddenly nothing in the world seemed safe anymore. ACME, her only refuge, at least for the time being. Until he realized where she was, and she endangered everyone else by simply being present here.

The whole thing was simply maddening. He had even gone so far as to reveal his identity before the attack which made it all the worse. He was toying with her psychologically. This whole thing had been done not just to harm her physical person, but to harm her mind and spirit as well. With Chase's face ingrained in her mind from that incident Toscano had managed to effectively create a strain on their relationship. His actions had been so calculated as to make her miserable.

Yet thus far this was only what he had done to her. Not even getting into what he could potentially do to Chase and as an extension of that to ACME as a whole. Hurting her was one thing, but hurting him was something else entirely. Chase had worked hard and he was the best at his job, no questions asked. Even the CIA, and MI6 looked to him for advice. His well-being was vital not only to ACME, but to world security on the whole. He was invaluable. If it meant keeping him safe she would do anything. Anything at all short of endangering another human being.

Perhaps she would find some way to avoid him while they were both here. With her resources and background staying hidden should not be too much of a problem. With the recent developments in cases here too, she was sure that he would be kept very busy. The paperwork backlog from his long absence alone could theoretically be enough to keep him in his office most of the time anyway. He was a creature of habit, perhaps by simply tracking his movements she would be able to devise a system in which she would be able to avoid him completely!

Yet all of that planning would have to wait. In the next few days she would have to pull off a heist. As much as she did not want to leave the protection of ACME, even for a short while, she knew that she would have to. If not things would potentially get much, much worse. Tomorrow morning everything would be set in motion. Everything had been planned, and prepared. Right down to the smallest of details. All that was left was to put it all into action and hope and pray for the best.


End file.
